We have been considering taking the leap into dvc for some time now but something keeps
holding us back. We go to wdw at least once a year but generally 2-3 times depending
dh schedule so I am sure it would be worth the money eventually. But we could never
settle for the least amount of points available to purchase....
Anyhow, my son (17) is just as crazy about wdw as all of us are keeps telling me that if
we join dvc we will be missing out on the vacation feeling. He says everyone talks about
how if feels like home and he wants to feel like he is in a hotel. Do you lose the vacation feeling?
I highly doubt that you do but he seems to think you would....
Also are you glad you purchased the dvc package and would you do it again if you had to do it over?
I understand for the most part how it all works but I assume there are some things you just
dont really figure out until you have become members.
I have thought about renting dvc points from someone and trying before buying but
the idea of giving someone our money before getting a product that is not secure scares me.
I would sure stink to think you had a reservation then showed up an they were like "who are you?
We dont have you down here for a stay" lol..
Anyhow, I'd appreciate any input you have on your dvc....
Thanks :icon_pooh:

I'm a DVC Member and love it. The resorts are top quality and the welcome is great. Believe me you feel like you're on vacation from the moment you enter the resort :icon_lol:

Bear in mind there are annual dues. I think it's $4 a point. So on 270 points you're looking at a $1080 annual bill.
For me I think it's worth it but others may disagree :icon_blah:

I agree it really is what you make of it. Yes you can stay in the room and get that Home feeling . Or you can hit the Resort and Parks and feel like you are staying in top notch Hotels.

The best thing is you can do more then one. We have been doing longer stays (11-13 days) and doing 2 different resorts each.

Have fun with Renting there are many places to do so that have tons of references just like everything else research who your doing business with. You can even just Get the Villas through CRO as well same thing but cost a bunch more.

Any questions feel free to PM me.

We love our DVC and wouldn't trade it for the world. It's good to know that our vacations are pre-paid and we are pretty much guaranteed to be returning to WDW every year--more or less. Yes, we have the dues which I have automatically taken from my checking each month but in the end we are still coming out ahead. I was shocked when I recently saw what the WDW resort rates were!! Also, once you stay in a 1 bedroom or above you will have a hard time going back to "regular" hotel rooms!! It's a whole different vacation experience--much more laid back and relaxing! Good luck deciding!

I totally understand what you are talking about with that "vacation feel". You don't lose that.

Now if I had to cook every day - and clean every day I would. But I don't. :icon_winkwink:

We usually have a quick breakfast in our unit and tidy up every morning but I do not "clean". Doing laundry I would do if we were in one of the non dvc resorts so that is no different - with the exception that we are not paying 2.00 a load - or more.

We don't miss the daily housekeeping - taking the trash and recycling down to the trash room is not a big deal. I always bring towels from home (each family member has their own color) so we don't mind reusing our own towels and I wash them with our clothes.

I would recommend that if and or when you do buy - buy at the resort that really does make you feel that aaahhhhh - this is where I want to be feeling. Don't buy into another resort thinking you will rarely stay there - just in case you have a hard time getting ressies at the 7th month window (we never have but we don't go during super busy times).

We financed through Disney and even with the interest have already more than "broke even".

However - if you stay in the value resorts or prefer the moderates it will take you longer to reach that break even point... so that is something you may want to consider as well.

DVC should NOT be considered a financial investment - but instead pre-paid accomodations. I do however consider it an investment into my family and quality time we have together.

I think DVC is the best of both worlds.
We have gone to WDW before and stayed at Contemp. and while it was nice I felt cramped when we got back to the room. Sometimes you just need a little more space; especially after a long day or night in the parks. The villas give you more space. (we stay in 1 or 2 BR villas)

DVC has been wonderful for us. We purchased resale Boardwalk and have never looked back.

We go every 6 months and look forward to it more than any of our other trips during the year.

Having DVC has allowed us to travel with friends and family we wouldn't normally get to travel with. BIL's family came with us and we got to experience fun of "princesses" again with DN(4) and also Star Wars Jedi Training with DNephew(7). The experiences were priceless since they live so far away. DGM came with us for Christmas this year to ride rollercoasters with DD-more experiences that we will treasure.

It's nice to kick back in your own room during breaks and relax/nap while those who want to watch TV or read or play games can do that in their own room. (this was really good when there were 8 of us)

The kitchen is nice. The wine bottles don't fit too well in those little fridges:icon_winkwink: and having the laundry right there keeps you from toting the delicates down to the laundry room.

It felt like 'home' this Christmas when we had our own little tree atop the TV console and I could make traditional 'cinnamon rolls" for Christmas morning when we opened presents. I was worried about DD not feeling like she was missing Christmas since it was her first one away from home. The extras really helped.

I really think you can have the best of both worlds.
Hope this doesn't sound too sappy.

Thanks for all the comments...
We have watched the video and done some research
but it seems like there is still a lot we dont know.
Are you given a lot more information when you meet
with a DVC representative?
I had no idea that you didnt get housekeeping and I thought
for sure dvc members would have club lounges much like the
club level rooms have. Niether of those are that important to me
but they are just examples of things I didnt know.
We will probably sit down with someone next time we are there
to get more information because we are both still not sure how
the points work and so on. It also might be a good idea for us to
stay in a villa to see how we like it first.

I really suggest that you rent points from a member and try it out yourself. We have rented points from a friend we met on a disney board years ago. She is great and we have rented points from her 3 times now. It really helped us feel out what DVC is all about. We finally decided, and bought DVC yesterday. I KNOW we will enjoy it! It still felt like we were on vacation, we just had a lot more room!! I've yet to cook anything except in the toaster and microwave, but our upcoming trip at SSR, I will think about making breakfasts and a few sandwiches for lunch! (we do get tired of burgers, fries, and chicken all week).

I totally agree with the suggestion to rent DVC points so you can try it out. Also, I second the suggestion of buying where you like to stay. I have a feeling as DVC gains popularity, it will be more difficult to book at 7 months. We almost purchased at Vero Beach because they were offering great incentives, but I did some investigating in our room before we signed the papers, and everyone said "buy where you would want to stay," so we picked BCV.

I totally feel like I am on vacation when I go. It's nice to have the kitchen for quick breakfasts or making coffee. Since we drive down usually, I have a Rubbermaid bucket with my Disney stuff, and we always bring our own coffee maker (Tassimo) because the WDW coffee stinks! I don't miss having daily housekeeping at all!

I would do it over again in a heartbeat!!

A few years ago, we considered selling our DVC and buying a condo near WDW. We rented a car and drove to a few nearby, to look things over. They were ok, but we weren't thrilled. When we returned to our "home" BWV, and went to catch the boat to Epcot, as soon as we walked out onto the Boardwalk, we looked at each other and said, in unison, "We can't leave this!", so we abandoned the idea. Had we bought the condo and stayed there, I think we would have lost the "vacation" feeling, but staying at any of the DVC resorts, well, we're on vacation! :D

And I agree with PraktiklyPerkect: I really think you can have the best of both worlds.

Are you given a lot more information when you meet
with a DVC representative?Do your homework before you ever meet with a guide. They don't spend enough time with you to explain everything and while they are not traditional timeshares sales people, they do sometimes "spin" things a bit. Some people have walked away with incorrect impressions of how the program works after talking to a guide. Get the full and straight story by reading everything you can find on the web first. If you decide to go ahead, read the paperwork they give you. There's a lot of it but those who felt mislead after they bought usually report that they just skimmed over the paperwork.

When we go, we really make use of the kitchen. We get a grocery delivery during our first day and cook about 80 percent of our meals in the room. The cost saving is significant, we ate a lot healthier than we normally would on vacation, and it makes the meals we eat at the resorts and parks a lot more special. Last year, I lost four pounds during our trip instead of gaining that much! :icon_thumbsup:

I also love having a washer and dryer right there. Maybe I'm weird, but the convenience of in-room laundry alone makes DVC worth it to me. :) The four of us have to fly, so we're able to get by with two small suitcases that are checked in and a couple of small carry-on bags. This makes travel a lot easier with two little kids. Plus, I don't lose two hours every time I need to do laundry. I really hated using the laundry room in the Contemporary, with the wait for machines, and dryers that needed two or three cycles (at $2 a pop) to dry a bunch of underwear, t-shirts and shorts.

The huge amount of space is great, too. It really does feel like "coming home" after a day in one of the parks, instead of just heading back to a hotel room. My parents stayed at another hotel, but came over a few times to have meals with us and relax in the afternoon before heading out for the evening. We were all very comfortable and I have a very cute picture of my dad and my son when they fell asleep together on the couch. :)

We loved AKV Jambo House last year and are REALLY looking forward to Kidani Village this year.

The huge amount of space is great, too. It really does feel like "coming home" after a day in one of the parks, instead of just heading back to a hotel room.Loved your post! I agree with everything you said. On our last stay we had a car and did quite a bit of shopping offsite (filling our Owners Locker) and every time we were headed back to the resort, I found myself saying "when we get home..." instead of "when we get back to our room"!

Loved your post! I agree with everything you said. On our last stay we had a car and did quite a bit of shopping offsite (filling our Owners Locker) and every time we were headed back to the resort, I found myself saying "when we get home..." instead of "when we get back to our room"!

I did that, too! At the beginning of the trip, my kids kept getting confused and thought I meant our vacation was over and we were going back to our real home. They got used to it by the end of the week, though. :)

What's an owner's locker?

We love DVC and would do it again. We do get the vacation feeling, it is just that much better that it is also your home.

We are some of the few that DVC has actually cost us more, than what it used to cost to down to Disney. But, that is because until we bought into DVC, we always stayed at Ft. Wilderness. Nothing beats paying $30 for a campsite, pricewise. Now, is DVC nicer? Absolutely!!!! I understand most people would not camp when they are staying at Disney World.

You will learn a lot by reading stuff on the net. But, here are a few things.

Like someone already said, try to figure out where you want to stay and buy your points there.

If you can afford it, but enough points for the length of time you want to stay each year, for at least a 1BR villa. Once you try those, with a kitchen and laundry in room, you won't be happy with an Inn or studio.

You can bank all or any of your points from this year into next. You can also borrow any of next year's points into this year. So, you could bank this year's points, then next year, borrow from the following year. That way, you get to use 3 years worth of points all at once.

Once you bank or borrow points, you can't switch them back. There are also restrictions based on your use year. Ours is in June. So, every June we get our new allotment of points. If you want to bank, you have to do that at certain times of the year based on your use year. If you wait too long, you may lose some of your points. So, you need to keep track of them during the year.

Just rambling on with thoughts about things you may not have known about. Sorry.

Benefits other than the rooms. You get discounts on annual passes. I believe a DVC price for an AP is now almost exactly $400. That is not guaranteed forever. Early on in DVC, passes were included I believe. And at other times, park hoppers were the passes you could buy at a discount. These can and do change. You also get discounts at certain restaurants, and for certain recreation offerings.

You can use your points at non DVC hotels at Disney's parks worldwide. But this is less of a good deal monetarily. You can also use them at non Disney resorts worldwide, but this can also be less of a good deal. There are also the Adventures by Disney. Trips you can take on my different types of adventures. And you can use points for a Disney cruise.

One of the sites I use for info about all of Disney is Deb Wills' page. allearnet.com She has a section on DVC. http://allears.net/acc/dvc.htm

All in all, it may sound like there is a lot to think about, but it boils down to would we do it again. The answer is a resounding YES!

Del

We bought into DVC at Saratoga Springs in 2006. We go down twice a year (in the fall and winter) and usually take one of our children and their family with us. It ALWAYS feels like a vacation, but there's a comfort zone that you don't get from just any hotel. We have stayed at our home resort (SSR), Boardwalk, and OKW. We haven't stayed at the others because we try to conserve our points hoping that DH and I can get away alone at some point. We figure being members will have paid for itself by 2011 or 2012. We always stay a week and have stayed in studios, one-bedrooms, and two bedrooms depending on who was with us.
We have never missed daily housekeeping; unlike my kids, I put everything in drawers the first day so the room/s stay neat, DH and I make the bed when we get up and that's it. We did do some laundry when we stayed in one and two bedroom facilities but only because the washer and dryer were there, not because we had to.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's really magical at WDW, and being members assures us that we WILL vacation every year no matter how busy we think we are!
Rent the points and try it, request the DVD, research online. It's wonderful!

Everyone keeps telling me I should rent the points but I was wondering how do you go about doing that? I mean isnt it like gambling? Isnt it possible to
lose all your money and get nothing in return when you rent points?
I've always wanted to try renting points but I have always valued our money to much to take the chance of losing it...

What's an owner's locker?It's a storage service. They supply you with a locker (a very large plastic storage box) that you can use to store things in between visits to WDW. They deliver and pick up your locker to/from Bell Services at your resort. They store your locker in between visits in a climate controlled warehouse. If you find you lug a lot of items down to WDW that you only use there, or that you buy a lot of things for your DVC stays (laundry detergent, plastic wrap, etc.) that you end up tossing out when you leave, it's a way to leave those things in Orlando in between visits. Here is a link to their website: http://www.ownerslocker.com/

ETA: NPR aired a story about Owner's Locker this weekend. You can read the article and listen to the story here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100926334 Scroll down and there is also a photo of Art the Greeter at the Beach Club along with an audio clip.

Everyone keeps telling me I should rent the points but I was wondering how do you go about doing that? I mean isnt it like gambling? Isnt it possible to
lose all your money and get nothing in return when you rent points?
I've always wanted to try renting points but I have always valued our money to much to take the chance of losing it...

Well yes there is some risk but many people do it all the Time.

1st try here this is a great site for those interested in any Aspect of DVC

http://www.mouseowners.com/

Then if you want David has set up a site that deals with nothing but renting . It's simple ,still saves you money and works very well . I have sent others that have been very pleased with dealing with him.

http://www.dvcrequest.com/