Good Idea??

[terlane]

:headscrat We are considering buying into DVC SSR and wonder if it's a good idea. We vacation once a year, usually cruises, but we really want to start going to Disney more. We use to go every 2 years before I had my last 2 children and we usually stay at the Moderate/Low resorts and wonder if this would be a good idea. We have 2 small children (6yr/8mos) and 19 year old. We having been thinking and know it's a personal question but I would love to hear from others who bought and why they did. Thanks for all the help!!:flowerfor

[tjkraz]

Bottom line is in the long term you will probably spend about the same for DVC as you would for cash stays at moderate resorts. Of course you'll be getting better accommodations for your dollar (larger room, kitchenette, balcony, free laundry facilities, etc.)

DVC will cost you more than staying at Value resorts.

If you use points for any options outside of DVC, like the cruises, it will also dilute the value of the purchase.

[jnrrt]

Welcome terlane! Glad to have you here.

One of the main reasons we looked into DVC sounds like it may affect you too, which was because we knew we were going to exceed the max occupancy of 4 in most of the WDW hotel rooms. We have three kids, and we really like to have more than one room, but at WDW that's very expensive, and I wasn't comfortable with having them "next door" even if the rooms were adjoining. When we looked at the one-bedrooms in DVC, it became a much better option.

Now, my disclaimer, while DVC does allow you to put 2 adults and 3 children in a one-bedroom right now, it is not in the contract. The official occupancy is 4 and occupancy threads have caused a lot of trouble on some sites, so we try to avoid that topic mostly, but it was a big deal for us, and for now it looks like 5 works for the forseeable future. We did buy enough points that we could go to a two-bedroom if the policy changed or when our kids got big enough that we wanted the extra space.

If you are used to the lower or moderate hotels, the cost savings will not be there as much as if you were used to deluxes. If you do deluxes, it's a pretty no-brainer decision in my opinion. We do not do deluxes, and still ran the numbers and thought we'd come out ahead, but mostly in that we'd be getting much, much nicer accommodations that worked better for our family for the same-ish amount of money. And it will pay for itself at some point, and that is when we will realize big savings. Also, you have a kitchen and laundry which is a huge convenience and cost-saving option if you're traveling with kids.

If you only go every other year, you can bank points on the off-years and only buy half of the points you'd need for your normal trip. But I will warn you that almost everyone on this board finds that they want more points after buying - it's called add-on-itis.

The only other thing I would make sure you think about is resales versus direct from Disney, and also your home resort. Many people do not know that you can buy resorts other than SSR, but of course, SSR has the longest term, so that is a really good option for many young families (and others as well). We ended up buying points resale for BWV's because we really like the location and the standard view point schedule, and we got a good deal on our resale. We didn't care as much about the length of the term, but that is a huge factor to consider. I will say that I've never stayed at or seen any DVC that I didn't think was beautiful and that I didn't think I would be happy at. Some I would be happier with than others, but they all have advantages and disadvantages.

I hope that wasn't too long an answer! I'm sure you'll get a lot more opinions, and feel free to ask any questions here!

[TW1]

Welcome Terlane. This is a great question since it can be a serious financial commitment for many years.

Keep in mind a few "why you probably should not" options.

As Tim suggests, you should not buy into DVC thinking it will help you with your future cruise plans, just doesn't work that way. Similarly, you should not if you are attracted to DVC for the purpose of going other places through Interval International on a regular basis.

As Jnrrt points out, if you are happy with the All-Stars etc you might want to try their new "family suites" to see if that offers you the space options you may be looking for.

But, if you are like me - you try to go every two years and prefer the moderates and don't really want to spend money on the deluxes - DVC can be an excellent option. Membership in DVC can pay for itself in a few years, even if you finance the entire purchase. Also, as a member there are other advantages like AP prices, dining plans, etc that can save money over the years.

Keep asking questions. MouseOwners is a great forum for finding info in this important purchase, and then learning how to get the most out of it. (plus is a fun bunch of folks!)

Let us know what you decide.

[mushu]

Good luck on your decision.

[JamJarJo]

Hi Terlane,
My husband and I just made this decision ourselves so I thought I'd share our logic (or lack of it) with you. I read lots about how if you don't stay at moderate/deluxe resorts DVC probably won't save you money. We have never stayed at a wdw moderate or deluxe resorts so we came at the decision from a different angle.
Oct 2003 we visted WDW for the first time. We have 3 kids, (at the time they were 7, 2 and 8 weeks) and we brought my Dad along on that trip, so 6 people in total. We stayed off property in a 2 bedroom vacation villa for $250 for a week!

March 2004 we visited WDW during Easter week. The Vacation Villa we had stayed in previously was not available and we were thinking we would like to have the convenience of Disney Transportation plus I had read that if you were staying on Disney property, entrance to the parks was guaranteed. I thought this might be a good thing as Easter week is so busy at WDW. As it was just the 5 of us this time and my daughter was still only 18 months old we could have stayed in any Disney hotel but as this trip was during my husband's R&R from a yearlong deployment we decided we wanted to stay in a Suite. So we settled on the Doubletree Suites at Downtown Disney. 4 nights cost us $820

April 2006 This year we decided to visit Disney during my son's spring break, the first week in April (it's Masters week here in Augusta which is reason enough to get out of town!) This time we were bringing my Mum along with us, so 6 people again. The original vacation villa was available, but not at that special rate --- it would have cost $900- $1000. Plus as well as the transportation and guaranteed entry to the Parks there was now another enticement to stay at a Disney Resort --EVENING EXTRA MAGIC HOURS. Shades of Green was an option (rooms sleep 5 plus child under 3 in portable crib) but they were all booked up. None of the other Disney hotels can sleep 6 (yet) and the guests at the Downtown Disney Hotels don't get the extra magic hours. Then I read about the Fort Wilderness campground --- it sounded great plus you get all the benefits of a Disney resort. We booked 5 nights at a campsite plus a sixth night in a Wilderness Cabin. The campsite was $365 for 5 nights and the Cabin cost about the same for the one night! So we spent around $730 for 6 nights stay.

The evening extra magic hours pretty much convinced us that on all future trips we would stay at a WDW resort. The campground was great but my husband is not a big fan of camping. We loved the Wilderness Cabin, but we couldn't see ourselves paying between $1800 and $2000 to stay in one for 5 or 6 nights.

Then we found out about DVC. The deal we were offered was 150 points for $15,150 or $101 per point with an incentive of $8 per point for a total of $13,950. If you divide that by 48 (#years in contract ) that works out at $291 per year. Then add yearly dues (which for SSR are currently around $600 for a 150 point contract) That works out to about $890 a year (dues rates will of course increase over time but then so will the price of other accomodations) So the way we look at it is that on future Disney trips we will pay only slightly more for far superior accomodations than we would pay for rooms if we didn't join DVC.
Of course there are many factors that will affect YOUR decision --- How many points you need. We looked at this very closely and believe that 150 pts is enough for us for now. If you need more than that of course the cost is going to increase. Financing will also increase the cost depending on how much you finance and how long you finance it for. Also realistically how often do you plan on going to Disney. Right now we live in Georgia making trips to Disney easy and HHI is only 21/2 hours away. With my husband in the military we had to consider what would happen when we move. So there's lots for you to consider.
Ok phew I'm done now. I need a rest after that. I just thought I'd share some reasoning other than the "if you don't normally stay deluxe it probably won't save you any money" logic. Hope it helps.

[DVCByResale]

I really enjoyed your perspective Jamjarjo. I often hear the same argument and it's nice to see the why's from someone who has experienced it - thanks for sharing!

All the best,
Shontell

[Lisa]

For us it was all about the accommodations. I was researching our first Disney trip in '03. I knew it had to be a good experience for my non-amusement park DH. We are only a family of 4 but we really enjoy having two rooms when we are on vacation, so everyone gets the sleep they need. It make a vacations so much more enjoyable. The suites at Disney were very $$$$. Discovered DVC and read the forums. Decided we would just go for it. (Yes without ever staying at WDW!) We thought we would be going every other year for the next 10-15 years anyway and the worse that could happen is that we sell earlier then we should. We took a chance with out taking a trip to a DVC first but it worked out very well for us. Our only mistake was buying a tad too many points (I know how can I say that!) and all in one 300 point contract instead of seperating it into two.

[granny]

I just thought I'd share some reasoning other than the "if you don't normally stay deluxe it probably won't save you any money" logic. Hope it helps.
I think that logic is applied for those people who are happy to come to WDW and stay in value resorts or off-site. The locations you described for your previous vacations sound like off-site condos or FW, neither of which I'd put in the value or even moderate category.

I think that many here are conservative in their advice and don't want to hold out DVC as a big money saver. Like you, I think many people have seen the benefit of staying on site at WDW, and want the nicer accommodations than a regular resort room might offer.

terlane....we bought when our two girls were 12 & 10 years old and what you just might find is that plans to "occasionally" visit WDW become much more regular as we enjoy WDW so much more at the relaxed pace, knowing we'll be back there so often and not crunching to fit everything in to every trip. It also allowed us to see that there is much more to WDW than four theme parks.

Good luck in your decision. It's a big one, and you are right to ask LOTS of questions! :)