DVC dues - ouch!!

[talland]

Just got our bill today for our dues at SSR. I do love my DVC and appreciate the value of the accomodation that we get as members - BUT I do get upset when so many offers are offered to package holidays and we seem to get very little offered to members. Examples free dining plans when buying tickets as part of a package.

 

[JimC]

I agree it is frustrating. Just remember that you bought for the long term value. When the economy cycles back the discounting will diminish.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

I agree it is frustrating. Just remember that you bought for the long term value. When the economy cycles back the discounting will diminish.

Good point. I think the good news is that the economy appears to be slowly cycling back.

Jason

 

[wideeyes]

The gift card one annoyed me,

 

[Jets fan]

Just got our bill today for our dues at SSR. I do love my DVC and appreciate the value of the accomodation that we get as members - BUT I do get upset when so many offers are offered to package holidays and we seem to get very little offered to members. Examples free dining plans when buying tickets as part of a package.

Totally agree. I purchased at OKW because we loved it and could not afford it normally. Now, I see the 40% off deals and free dining, so it's actually cheaper for us to book rather than use points. Times are tough for everybody at the moment and I can see no light at the end of the tunnel just yet. I know I have the points for when things bounce back, but I do not see DVC trying to think how they can help existing DVC members through these troubled times. DVC members cannot take advantage of these wonderful offers, which is my pet peeve!

Tina

 

[JimC]

Anyone can book under those offers. If that works better for you, book that way and rent out your points.

While I understand the frustration; it is one of the factors that we all consider when we buy -- to continue to book based on discount availability or lock in long term savings.

 

[Halo]

Anyone can book under those offers. If that works better for you, book that way and rent out your points.

Agreed - it might sound harsh but its true.

 

[RDP]

This year we're banking our 2010 points into 2011. We're then booking to stay at SSR through disney to take advantage of the free dining etc. We now can have twice the accommodation next year when we use our DVC points.

 

[MuxtonMiley]

Yes this annoys us too. Dining Plan is sooo expensive to book to pay for. We have paid for a reservation at SSR our home resort and used points for a cruise reservation which costs a lot more in cash. If we had used points fpr SSR and paid for Dining (we have to eat!) we reckon we would only have paid about £100 less -- Disney Cruise for £100, not bad. Points will for pay for themselves as cash price goes up

 

[Brandis]

Funny, I was reading Kevin Yee's column on another website this morning and there was a comment of someone who apparently is not a DVC member and she complained how the Disney deals were not so good for her this year as compared to last year. Just got me thinking of the DVC members "complaining" of the opposite

For example, I traveled the exact same week in 2009 (MLK) week and stayed at the exact same resort with my two youngest children, Pop, yet the offer last year was a much better value, last year I got buy 4/get 3 free and a $250 gift card, where this year for values it was only 5/2 and no gift cards. Okay, so I will give them that, because this a special offer and I shouldn't "expect" any offers.

 

[BckBlue]

have you found dvc good value?

 

[talland]

Being a DVC member has allowed my family and I to stay at hotels in the heart of Disney that we could only dream of affoeding if we were not members. For example we did a costing of a two week holiday staying at AK for the four of us if we were not members and it came to not much less than we paid for our DVC membership. (price did include flights which obviously we have to pay seperately). Check out room rates for some of the hotels that DVC use and you will see how cost scan mount up. Another plus with DVC is that the accomdation is usually bigger units rather than just a hotel room. All in all we do think DVC is very good - but the annual dues do need to be taken into account when doing your figures. The other good thing is that we still have 40+ years of DVC use for my family and in a few years time the cost we paid initially will look even more attractive. As someone mentione earlier in the thread, look at the long term benefits. Hope this has been of help.

 

[jharrowell]

Personally I don't think we do too bad. The discounts are transient things and Bob Iger has announced that he intends to ween the public off of them and offer less discounts.

Me, I get $125 off of my AP

I get the TiWc for ont $75 and get 20% off my meals (Not free meals I grant you, but that's also 20% off of alcahol... Yummy)

There's other discounts which I'm sure you already know then the kicker:

I get to stay at what I consider a delux level resort (this time it's AKV) for what works out at $104 a night. (Annual dues on points used divided by the amount of days in the room).

Yes I know there is the initial outlay as well, but if you split that by the amount of years left to run on the contract and the amount of points you have, the addition is negligable (If I did my maths right it added $2 roughly).

Sounds like a good deal to me!

 

[needtogomore]

Anyone can book under those offers. If that works better for you, book that way and rent out your points.

So disney sells us a vacation for 42% off and free dining, then we rent our points to someone who would have paid Disney for a vacation, not been really thought out has it.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Personally I don't think we do too bad. The discounts are transient things and Bob Iger has announced that he intends to ween the public off of them and offer less discounts.

Me, I get $125 off of my AP

I get the TiWc for ont $75 and get 20% off my meals (Not free meals I grant you, but that's also 20% off of alcahol... Yummy)

There's other discounts which I'm sure you already know then the kicker:

I get to stay at what I consider a delux level resort (this time it's AKV) for what works out at $104 a night. (Annual dues on points used divided by the amount of days in the room).

Yes I know there is the initial outlay as well, but if you split that by the amount of years left to run on the contract and the amount of points you have, the addition is negligable (If I did my maths right it added $2 roughly).

Sounds like a good deal to me!

You make some good points.

We're thinking of buying into DVC in the future but will hold off for a while, until the great offers are all but a distant memory- may as well take advantage of them while we can!

 

[pampat]

We bought DVC in 1993 and can honestly say that we've never for a moment regretted it. It has been one of our best investments.

However, as we are now coming up to retirement, we have to consider that the annual dues will not be so easy to meet and are in the process of selling our VB points. On the other hand they are going to have to pry my OKW points out of my cold, dead hands! Never giving those up.

Pam

 

[Disneymad]

We bought DVC in 1993 and can honestly say that we've never for a moment regretted it. It has been one of our best investments.

We bought in 2001 and I totally agree!

DVC membership gives the single biggest AP discount available (better even than the CM discount I'm told) which in turn, allows you to buy the Tables in Wonderland card which is also, a fantastic deal in itself.

While the big discounts and free dining sound amazing, when you do the actual math the gap isn't as wide (or doesn't exist at all) for many people as might appear as it depends largely on the specific make up of your travel party.

There's something about that word "Free" that brings with it a certain perception that everything else in comparison is automatically worse - that's not always the way it works out.

 

[jekupsiller]

I bought the OKW, because we are the heart and could not normally afford.Now I see 50% discount and offers free food, so it is actually cheaper for us to book instead of using points.Times are tough for everyone right now and I can not see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. I know I have issues, because when things recover, but I do not see DVC try to think how they can help existing DVC members get through tough times.

 

[Brandis]

If it's cheaper, you could always rent out your points and book cash.

 

[skelfbsfb]

I own at OKW and are not happy at the discounts that they are offering, If i stay there at the same time and want DDP then I have to pay. Why can WDW not offer all who stay at these resort the free DDP, or DVC members money off.