Thinking of buying DVC - Any advice?

smith_4 · Jun 26, 2014

Hi. We just got back from a trip to WDW Orlando and met with a DVC representative while we were down there. We are Marriott vacation club owners and LOVE adding on 4 days at a Disney property at the end of our annual Marriott trip. The rep did the math and it appears to be more cost effective to buy into a DVC than spend hundreds of dollars nightly ($500+) to stay for 4 nights at one of the Deluxe resorts.

I was wondering if DVC owners could tell me if they are happy with their purchase. Are you satisfied with DVC? Are you able to get the rooms that you want at the resorts each year?

The only DVC to purchase right now in Orlando is at Grand Floridian. We have never stayed here so we don't know if this is a good choice or not. We have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian and on this last trip stayed in a Tower theme park view room at the Contemporary. We loved that we could walk to MK from the Contemporary each day. Can you do this from the Grand Floridian? Does the new Grand Floridian DVC building have theme park rooms available? We were only thinking of purchasing 100 points since we only want/need a 4 night stay. We already have 2 weeks through Marriott and are only looking to add a few nights to our annual Marriott trip.

Is it better to purchase through DVC or through resale?

Does anyone know anything about the upcoming DVC site they are building at the Polynesian? Would it be better to wait and buy into the Poly or purchase at GF instead? We love the Polynesian and had our honeymoon there years ago. We have no way to compare to the GF since we have never stayed there. We are laid back casual people and the GF always looks so formal which is why we have stayed at the other deluxe resorts and never stayed there. We like a relaxed atmosphere.

Sorry for all the questions. We have 7 (now 6) days to decide and let the DVC rep know what we want to do.

Thanks in advance for your advice and input!!

Trish

Rsauer3473 · Jun 26, 2014

We have been members for over 20 years. We have never regretted the purchase from Disney, though you will find resale prices lower ( with a few losses of benefits as a resale purchaser.)
If you plan ahead you can get the rooms you want at your home resort. If you want to go to another DVC resort, you can reserve at 7 months out and, depending on the season, you may or may not get a room. Christmas, spring break, some holidays are busier. So it makes sense to plan. And with the newer resorts taking more and more points, you should probably get at least 250-300 points which at GF pricing is spendy. 100 points may get you four nights in a studio.
You cannot walk from GF to MK. I believe there are MK view rooms.

DVC is expending into the Poly with some overwater bungalows and some refitted rooms in existing buildings. The price will be high. The point values will be high.

You might check out some DVC resale sites to review current prices. If you are only considering a few nights at a DVC resort in WDW, resale should be fine. Realize you cannot use resale points for certain benefits like Disney Cruises and staying at regular Disney hotels which we have done using our ownership.

And Disney's DVC has generally kept more of its value on the resale. On the other hand many Orlando timeshares are given away free or almost free on the resale market: we recently purchased two weeks at Sheraton Vistana Villages annually for $1000, about 5% of the original sales price.

Good luck on your purchase and do not let your salesman pressure you into a deadline for the deal. Trust us, you can call in a month and they will be glad to take your money. And, by the way, you should pay cash, as Disney's financing is very costly.

mecllap · Jun 26, 2014

You can take all the time you need to research -- you can always buy directly from DVC. Check out mouseowners.com and the DVC section of disboards.com You can get lots of advice there.

You might want to do a DVC rental to check out how they compare to a Marriott (the locations are superb, but the units are smaller-- I went from a Marriott to my first DVC stay and it was a little disappointing as far as the unit itself -- but they are really fine, just different). Unless there's some reason you are in a hurry to purchase. DVC generally has points at some other resorts for sale at their price -- you could call and check with another rep. If you are just getting enough points for four nights, you may not be interested in the couple/few things you might lose buying resale. Generally points are points unless you have a resort that you "must" stay at or are tied to a time of year that might have some effect).

I have only enough points to get a one-bedroom every other year, or studios each year (which is mostly what I've done). I don't plan on ever using them for anything except staying in DVC (the one at Hilton Head is nice for example).

I have stayed in most of the DVC resorts, at least in a studio, and find things to like about all of them -- great places to stay to enjoy the Parks, etc. -- or just the resort!

Serina · Jun 26, 2014

We own DVC and love it! We've never regretted purchasing, in fact, we've added on points. If you are traveling during a school break, I've found it's best to buy where you want to stay for the 11 month booking window...especially if it's one of the smaller resorts. Good luck with your decision!

sparty · Jun 27, 2014

We have a Baylake Tower 2 bedroom in 2 weeks.. We are doing the opposite of what was described here.. We will do 1 week in Bay Lake Tower first followed by 3 days at Marriott's Cypress Harbour..

I looked at the size difference - both are 2 bedrooms - Baylake Tower is 1152 sq ft and Cypress is 1345 sq ft. So will be interesting to see if we notice a difference in space.

mecllap said:
You can take all the time you need to research -- you can always buy directly from DVC. Check out mouseowners.com and the DVC section of disboards.com You can get lots of advice there.

You might want to do a DVC rental to check out how they compare to a Marriott (the locations are superb, but the units are smaller-- I went from a Marriott to my first DVC stay and it was a little disappointing as far as the unit itself -- but they are really fine, just different). Unless there's some reason you are in a hurry to purchase. DVC generally has points at some other resorts for sale at their price -- you could call and check with another rep. If you are just getting enough points for four nights, you may not be interested in the couple/few things you might lose buying resale. Generally points are points unless you have a resort that you "must" stay at or are tied to a time of year that might have some effect).

I have only enough points to get a one-bedroom every other year, or studios each year (which is mostly what I've done). I don't plan on ever using them for anything except staying in DVC (the one at Hilton Head is nice for example).

I have stayed in most of the DVC resorts, at least in a studio, and find things to like about all of them -- great places to stay to enjoy the Parks, etc. -- or just the resort!

littlestar · Jun 27, 2014

We're very happy DVC owners. We've been members since 2002. We've owned at various DVC resorts through the years and now solely own at SSR (Saratoga) which is a good value resale and it has a longer ending date than some of the earlier DVC's.

If you want to consistently book the DVC's that are close to a park and you need school vacations you will probably need to carefully choose your home resort (especially if you will be booking at the 11 month window). At the 7 month window, points are points pretty much. Although the dues/maintenance fees for Vero Beach, Hilton Head, and Hawaii are higher and owning there could lock you out of being on Disneyworld property during high booking times.

Resale will save you money - possibly half of what Disney charges. If you like the Magic Kingdom area, I would suggest taking a look at resales at BLT. Try looking at The Timeshare Store, DVC by Resale, or Resales DVC and see what they have for sale.

Good luck.

tlwmkw · Jun 27, 2014

You might want to look at the Villas at Wilderness lodge too. That would be a cheaper option to purchase and puts you a short boat ride away from the magic kingdom. We love it there- especially at Christmas when it is all decorated.

Just a thought and vote for another that is relatively close to Magic Kingdom.

tlwmkw

PearlCity · Jun 27, 2014

Definitely look into resale. The only thing you can't use resale points are for booking cruises and booking in Disney's collection which includes the Disneyland hotel and others, but all involve extra fees to do so.

I don't know how the dvc rep did the numbers but the only way I could get a reasonable payback when I ran numbers was buying resale. If you just want to stay at dvc resorts, resale is the way to go. And you can buy quickly at sold out resorts.

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SMHarman · Jun 28, 2014

Also consider points rental. Instead of paying Disney $500 a night you rent the points one year at a time from an owner for about $13 a point.

No upfront capital or closing costs. Unless you are using points every year for sure it is the better way to go and has most of the benefits of ownership.

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Bailey#1 · Jun 28, 2014

Look into the disboards.com site.

PS Resale is the way to go!

1st Class · Jun 28, 2014

smith_4 said:
Hi. We just got back from a trip to WDW Orlando and met with a DVC representative while we were down there. We are Marriott vacation club owners and LOVE adding on 4 days at a Disney property at the end of our annual Marriott trip. The rep did the math and it appears to be more cost effective to buy into a DVC than spend hundreds of dollars nightly ($500+) to stay for 4 nights at one of the Deluxe resorts.

I was wondering if DVC owners could tell me if they are happy with their purchase. Are you satisfied with DVC? Are you able to get the rooms that you want at the resorts each year?

The only DVC to purchase right now in Orlando is at Grand Floridian. We have never stayed here so we don't know if this is a good choice or not. We have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian and on this last trip stayed in a Tower theme park view room at the Contemporary. We loved that we could walk to MK from the Contemporary each day. Can you do this from the Grand Floridian? Does the new Grand Floridian DVC building have theme park rooms available? We were only thinking of purchasing 100 points since we only want/need a 4 night stay. We already have 2 weeks through Marriott and are only looking to add a few nights to our annual Marriott trip.

Is it better to purchase through DVC or through resale?

Does anyone know anything about the upcoming DVC site they are building at the Polynesian? Would it be better to wait and buy into the Poly or purchase at GF instead? We love the Polynesian and had our honeymoon there years ago. We have no way to compare to the GF since we have never stayed there. We are laid back casual people and the GF always looks so formal which is why we have stayed at the other deluxe resorts and never stayed there. We like a relaxed atmosphere.

Sorry for all the questions. We have 7 (now 6) days to decide and let the DVC rep know what we want to do.

Thanks in advance for your advice and input!!

Trish

We loved that we could walk to MK from the Contemporary each day. Can you do this from the Grand Floridian?

You can easily walk from GF to MK on the walkway connecting the two just as you have from the Contemporary. We prefer to avoid the monorail at peak times.

We have 7 (now 6) days to decide and let the DVC rep know what we want to do.

Don't believe the sales talk. Disney will happily take your money next week, next month or next year. You'll pay more for the same product if you buy from Disney, so unless buying direct is important to you, take your time and buy resale.

letsgosteelers · Jun 30, 2014

SMHarman said:
Also consider points rental. Instead of paying Disney $500 a night you rent the points one year at a time from an owner for about $13 a point.

No upfront capital or closing costs. Unless you are using points every year for sure it is the better way to go and has most of the benefits of ownership.

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk

Point rental definitely the way to go!! If you go every few years then definitely works out better than paying reg maint fees.

smith_4 · Jun 30, 2014

Thank you for all the advice and information! We go to Disney actually twice each summer now. We have two weeks with our Marriott timeshare. Our big trip is in June when school gets out and we leave for one week at Marriott and a 4 night stay at a Disney property. It sounds like resale is the way to go in terms of being much cheaper as well as renting points which I was not aware of this option before posting my question on TUG. Regarding resale I think the only thing I would be giving up is the possibility of doing a Disney cruise using the points. Other than that we always see ourselves going to WDW in Orlando as we have done now with the kids for the past 8 years.

Thank you for letting me know we can walk from GF to MK. I wondered about that. It was so nice staying at The Contemporary and walking back after the park closed and not having to worry about the crowds at the ferry and monorail.

The DVC rep quoted us $165 per point at Grand Floridian which is a lot to pay. The deadline to give him an answer is this Wednesday. But you are right that I can call them anytime during the year and I am sure they will be happy to take my money. We are not in any hurry. We want to wait and see how the DVC villas are going to be at the Polynesian. We love that resort and find it peaceful and relaxing so we may look to buy there.

Regarding BLT - does Disney ever buy back points and then sell them again to new owners? They told us they were sold out everywhere except for GF and the one in Hawaii. We really liked BLT and would consider buying there but the DVC rep made no mention of buying back points and then reselling them. Do they even do this? And, if so, do you retain the same benefits as the original DVC owner if you buy resale from Disney directly? I know there are places where you can buy resale which are not owned and operated by Disney but was wondering if Disney actually resells their own points to new owners.

Thank you again for all the information!!!

Trish

mickeymorse · Jun 30, 2014

smith_4 said:
Thank you for all the advice and information! We go to Disney actually twice each summer now. We have two weeks with our Marriott timeshare. Our big trip is in June when school gets out and we leave for one week at Marriott and a 4 night stay at a Disney property. It sounds like resale is the way to go in terms of being much cheaper as well as renting points which I was not aware of this option before posting my question on TUG. Regarding resale I think the only thing I would be giving up is the possibility of doing a Disney cruise using the points. Other than that we always see ourselves going to WDW in Orlando as we have done now with the kids for the past 8 years.

Thank you for letting me know we can walk from GF to MK. I wondered about that. It was so nice staying at The Contemporary and walking back after the park closed and not having to worry about the crowds at the ferry and monorail.

The DVC rep quoted us $165 per point at Grand Floridian which is a lot to pay. The deadline to give him an answer is this Wednesday. But you are right that I can call them anytime during the year and I am sure they will be happy to take my money. We are not in any hurry. We want to wait and see how the DVC villas are going to be at the Polynesian. We love that resort and find it peaceful and relaxing so we may look to buy there.

Regarding BLT - does Disney ever buy back points and then sell them again to new owners? They told us they were sold out everywhere except for GF and the one in Hawaii. We really liked BLT and would consider buying there but the DVC rep made no mention of buying back points and then reselling them. Do they even do this? And, if so, do you retain the same benefits as the original DVC owner if you buy resale from Disney directly? I know there are places where you can buy resale which are not owned and operated by Disney but was wondering if Disney actually resells their own points to new owners.

Thank you again for all the information!!!

Trish

You can definitely get points for any DVC resort. Just because it is sold out doesn't mean there are no points available. If you want pts at BLT and they haven't any at the time, they will just exercise ROFR on a resale to acquire the points needed to sell to you. Disney will always find a way to take your money.

If you are looking at purchasing resale, I wouldn't worry about not being able to use your pts toward a Disney cruise. You could always rent out your pts and use the cash towards it instead. A better way to use your pts IMHO.

smith_4 · Jun 30, 2014

Interesting that the DVC rep didn't even mention we could buy a timeshare at any other of their resorts. He mentioned only GF and Hawaii were available for purchase. I guess it is easier to sell a new timeshare vs having to go through the extra process of acquiring points that are selling for resale some place else? Or do they not get commission when they sell points from an older DVC location?

I am in no hurry to buy but definitely want to own a piece of the magic one day. We absolutely love everything Disney.

I will spend time researching first though to make sure I get the best price. I bought from Marriott directly but that is because I was an employee at the time of purchase and got 30% off as my discount. So I am looking for a better deal than paying full price for a DVC. $165 per point is way too much.

If the DVC rep can get points from an older DVC location do they sell them at current point prices? Or are the point prices cheaper for a resale through a DVC agent?

Does anyone know the best DVC resale agent to go through? One who is most trustworthy and looking out for your best interest and not just looking to make a fast deal.

chalee94 · Jun 30, 2014

I was wondering if DVC owners could tell me if they are happy with their purchase. Are you satisfied with DVC? Are you able to get the rooms that you want at the resorts each year?

i am happy but my expectations are pretty reasonable. i do not expect to be able to book the grand floridian or beach club resorts during early december (THE peak season for DVC), for example.

The only DVC to purchase right now in Orlando is at Grand Floridian.

not true. DVC is constantly reacquiring inventory at other resorts through foreclosure and ROFR. but purchasing direct is all over-priced. resale is a much better deal and you lose nothing of value.

Does the new Grand Floridian DVC building have theme park rooms available?

no. it does not. (bad angle.) lake view is the "best" available.

Does anyone know anything about the upcoming DVC site they are building at the Polynesian?

if you are determined to stay at the poly, you should plan to buy in there and book at 11 months out. but a lot will be pure speculation until more info is announced.

1st Class said:
We loved that we could walk to MK from the Contemporary each day. Can you do this from the Grand Floridian?

You can easily walk from GF to MK on the walkway connecting the two just as you have from the Contemporary. We prefer to avoid the monorail at peak times.

i really don't think this is true (unless they have added a bridge over the last few months). the canal for the electric water pageant barges makes an "easy" walk into a problematic one.

(photo borrowed from Robo at the DISboards.)

chalee94 · Jun 30, 2014

smith_4 said:
Interesting that the DVC rep didn't even mention we could buy a timeshare at any other of their resorts. He mentioned only GF and Hawaii were available for purchase. I guess it is easier to sell a new timeshare vs having to go through the extra process of acquiring points that are selling for resale some place else? Or do they not get commission when they sell points from an older DVC location?

pretty sure their pay is structured to encourage you to buy the newer resorts.

If the DVC rep can get points from an older DVC location do they sell them at current point prices? Or are the point prices cheaper for a resale through a DVC agent?

disney is the developer. they do not sell "resale" contracts (although some of the salespeople have tried to confuse people at times).

they do sell old key west and wilderness lodge, but at $130 per pt. considerably higher than resale prices:

http://www.dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-program/financial/pricing-a-promotions

Does anyone know the best DVC resale agent to go through? One who is most trustworthy and looking out for your best interest and not just looking to make a fast deal.

i used the timeshare store and was happy with their service. i don't think any of them operate as "buyers' agents", though. their responsibility is primarily to brokering a deal between buyers and sellers...so you need to take the time to understand what you are doing beforehand.

AnnaS · Jul 2, 2014

We have been members 14 years and have no regrets. Added on a couple of times since. Still love it!! Grown kids love it just as much!! One recently married with a newborn is also a member and second getting married - DCL Honeymoon - still loves disney as well as my daughter who recently did The College Program. Hubby and I enjoy adult only vacations also. We bought all direct still have no regrets. I would have no problem considering a resale but do enjoy using them for our cruises when for some reason or another we have had to bank points and had limited vacation time. We did not want the hassle of renting to pay for the cruise.

I agree with everyone - resale sounds like the way to go for you. If you are more comfortable going through Disney as a first time buyer - just mention that you will go the resale route if you are interested in one of the other resorts (less price than the current pricing - dvcnews.com might have current pricing for sold-out resorts) and I am sure they will find you some points quick.

Keep reading/browsing/asking questions. Good luck. Let us know when and what you decide so we can welcome you home

1st Class · Jul 2, 2014

chalee94 said:
...

i really don't think this is true (unless they have added a bridge over the last few months). the canal for the electric water pageant barges makes an "easy" walk into a problematic one.

(photo borrowed from Robo at the DISboards.)

Yes, it is true. At least as of last fall it was true. We walked from the Polynesian to MK and back on the pathway that passes through GF. They did modify the path however with the addition of the villas at both the Poly and GF. Just follow the signs and you'll find your way!

Deej82 · Jul 2, 2014

We are also Marriott + (recently) DVC owners. Marriott is definitely our primary as we have multiple weeks + DC in their system. We do love staying on-property though but it's clearly at a premium... especially when compared to how easy/cheap it is to get into Orlando resorts through lockoff trades or II Getaways. Ended up purchasing a 100 point DVC resale contract through the Timeshare Store (excellent folks). We get the benefits of being owners (mainly for us it's discounted AP's) and are able to use points for a couple nights as add-ons or pool years for longer stays. First usage was in May this year.. did a one night BLT stay before our Disney Cruise then 4 nights at SSR afterwards. I don't think we will grow our DVC ownership since we can always use a rental broker to subsidize and still have all the benefits... and again since the bulk of what we have is with MVC.

Lately our strategy has been AP's every other year and do 2-3 stays during the 12 month period. Nice thing with AP's is "free" parking so being off-property isn't as painful.

lizap · Jul 2, 2014

As someone who doesn't own DVC, but has considered it carefully, I will say that you have to really want to own Disney to buy Disney. Relative to most other TSs (even premium TSs), financially they are very difficult to justify owning. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that you buy/own Disney because you want to own Disney...

jmpellet · Jul 2, 2014

I would love to own a piece of the mouse but really can't justify the initial outlay of funds along with the high MF. I know that in return I must be flexible if I want a DVC exchange (accept any resort) along with the possibility that the game could change (back to II) at any time. My 36 TPU unit with MF of $360 (so $10...) gets me enough of what I want. My fall 2 bed stay at SSR was 40 so just over one year's worth and I expect my hopeful OGS (fingers-crossed) for next spring at DVC HHI will come in between 20-30 so I'm happy.

letsgosteelers · Jul 3, 2014

As far as using points for cruising RUN in the other direction.

A few years ago while still steep, the points went further from what I recall when I looked at a few cruises, but I just looked at what you get and basically for 5,000 pts you get a straight $500 discount, that's it!!

10,000 pts, $1,000 disc.
2,500 pts, $250 disc.

It didn't seem to matter which itinerary, length of cruise, etc. It was a straight cash disc.

FLDVCFamily · Jul 13, 2014

We bought BWV resale over a decade ago, and VBR from Disney when they were just trying to unload points at the end of selling that resort. We regret it. We live about 1.5 hours from Disney. We had a really bad stay at BWV last Thanksgiving and won't stay there again until it is refurbed. Hence, the 11 month window is useless to us now, and no we haven't been fortunate enough to get what we wanted at 7 months. We keep looking at selling, and as it's so cheap and easy to trade in via RCI, we probably will. We'll keep the 50 vero points for the deals on APs as they seem to come annually now.

ETA - We regularly trade in to Marriott with a cheap timeshare that we bought on Ebay. If that ever becomes more difficult we won't hesitate to buy a resale Marriott.

amyhwang · Aug 12, 2014

To the OP: First of all, lucky you to go twice each summer!

We own a Marriott as well (Hawaii) but have stayed at many of the Marriotts in Orlando too. I agree that you will find the DVC villas smaller (much more compact), but the convenience of being right there (our favorite is BWV) makes up for it!

I think that since you're not too familiar with the DVC villas, I would agree with the PP's that it would be a good idea to rent a few nights first to get a taste of which resort you prefer and how you like it. It would be much better than making a purchase then thinking you wish you'd have bought at a different home resort. Have you looked into something like David's vacation club rentals? I think he charges something like $14 a point.

Thinking of buying DVC - Any advice?

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