What is Disney Vacation Club?

[josh.p.]

What do you do when you are a member?
I don't get it...

Josh

[triciacarole]

Its a bit like a timeshare Josh.

[OKWTink]

You purchase a group of points, Josh. When you purchase the points you also have purchased them at a DVC resort which becomes your home resort of record. That allows you to book your stays there earlier than at other DVC resorts.

The points are quite flexible and allow you to choose your accomodation size, the resort (DVC or otherwise) that you are going to stay at, and the time of year you want to stay.

The points also allow you to stay at any number of places that are not WDW.

There are many member benefits, some of which are discounts on meals, activities, etc...

Does that help a bit?

[josh.p.]

So, are the points cheaper than paying with money?

[triciacarole]

Yes using the points is cheaper but I think you have a large outlay to begin with and then there are annual dues. It is worth it if you go to WDW a lot though.

[AlecK]

We purchased 300 points at BWV for around £14,000, the points are good until 2042 and the annual dues are currently around £800. It is a very cost effective way of staying onsite particularly if you want /need to stay in larger (1br/2br/grand villas) accomodations.

[josh.p.]

where can you go with 3,000 points?

[AlecK]

300 Josh :lol:

Rates vary by accomodation size and by season but you start at around 12 points a night for a studio and work up from there.

[OKWTink]

LOL! You wouldn't be allowed to purchase 3,000 Josh. I think the cut off is at 2,000? Not positive about that, but DVC does control the maximum amount of points one can own. They do not want the DVC to become a retirement community. It's a vacation venue and they'll keep it that way.

Think of it as a hedge against rising resort accomodation rates. The DVC's are deluxe accomodations and the DVC members have purchased future accomodation at today's rate (or the rate in effect when the member made the actual purchase). As other's pay higher and higher room rates, DVC members will have locked in their rate years ago. Dues may rise from time to time, but not at the speed of room rates.

Does that make a bit of sense or am I just nattering myself into a circle? :unsure:

[josh.p.]

14,000 for 300 points :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
12 points a night, for 2 weeks ends up like half your points gone, for £7,000, are they really posh hotels or something?
Josh

[OKWTink]

The points don't get used up never to be used again. They are used for a use year, and then you get the same number of points all over again for the next use year and so on until 2042.

[josh.p.]

so the 300 points are forever?
and you only have to pay 14,00.

So basically, you can go for nearly four weeks every year, till 2042 for 14,00?

wow!

[ukwdwnut]

so the 300 points are forever?
and you only have to pay 14,00.

So basically, you can go for nearly four weeks every year, till 2042 for 14,00?

wow!


+800 per year fees josh

i looked into this last trip, its ok if you go every year or two

[josh.p.]

+800 per year fees josh
It still works out quite well though.
I wish my parents loved disney as much as me LOL
Josh

[ukwdwnut]

It still works out quite well though.
I wish my parents loved disney as much as me LOL
Josh


if the fees stayed the same until 2042 thats over 28k + 14k

[OKWTink]

Yes Josh, that's the general idea. There are the membership dues (yearly too) but that is the same with any sort of time share deal.

Then there are the member perks, the discounts, the special members only events, so on and so forth.

You can stay at any DVC you choose, also. You aren't limited to your home resort. You can use your points to stay at the other WDW resorts too (although not at the value resorts).

You can use your points to stay in many other places throughout the world, including on a safari in Tanzania. (I'm constantly thinking about that one)!

All in all, I think it's a great deal. I must, eh? I live right here and didn't sell my DVC when I ended up in Orlando. I use it as much as I ever have (as a matter of fact I'm slap out of points until next year). :sigh:

[ukwdwnut]

if i could afford it i think i might invest in it :)

[josh.p.]

42k, for 62 stays at disney, 2 stays a year for 42k.

IMO its good, but still only good if you an afford the payments in advance.

[OKWTink]

You can finance the purchase just as you would any "home." Makes it nice, but then of course, you add the interest to the total cost.

Essentially, my DVC paid for itself in the first five years that I had it.

I was spending (at that time) approx $5,000 per WDW vacation (accomodation and flight, meals, not souveniers) and going about twice a year.

Buying into DVC really made sense for me. I paid for the initial points purchase with four vacations!

At any rate, it's lovely for most, some don't like it. :shrug: Me? I'm very happy I have it and VERY happy I bought into it ten years ago!

[ukwdwnut]

You can finance the purchase just as you would any "home." Makes it nice, but then of course, you add the interest to the total cost.

Essentially, my DVC paid for itself in the first five years that I had it.

I was spending (at that time) approx $5,000 per WDW vacation (accomodation and flight, meals, not souveniers) and going about twice a year.

Buying into DVC really made sense for me. I paid for the initial points purchase with four vacations!

At any rate, it's lovely for most, some don't like it. :shrug: Me? I'm very happy I have it and VERY happy I bought into it ten years ago!

that made sense then tink didnt it, whats your home resort, is it old key west?

[OKWTink]

Yep.

[ukwdwnut]

do you just stay there or stay at different resorts, and have you done the full circuit yet :)

[OKWTink]

The full circuit?

I've stayed at all the WDW DVC resorts and Vero Beach. I've yet to get to HH, although I've "sent" family there.

I've used my points for stays at other WDW resorts as well.

[ukwdwnut]

i meant all the resorts :sorry: mind went blank for a mo couldnt think how to put it :lol:

[PaulaK]

We get some great perks too like $100 off AP's for everyone, 25% discount off cash rooms at DVC resorts, we can add the dining plan without having to buy a package and we can combine the cash ressie discount with the dining plan at DVC resorts. :)

[OKWTink]

Yepper! Those are the sorts of perks I was talking about.

No, I've not stayed at all the resorts.

[ukwdwnut]

mmmmmmmm so overall it might be a biggish outlay, but over time there are some great discounts to be had too

[tweenie123]

Would it be worth me looking into DVC? It's something I've never even considered. We'll be going to WDW once every year in the forseable future probably for the next 8 years at least. I think we'll be staying at a different deluxe each time as I'd like to try them all. Me and DS would go more often but I don't think we'd be able to persuade DH as he likes his beach holidays too much at other times of the year and once at Disney is enough for him.

[josh.p.]

Would it be worth me looking into DVC? It's something I've never even considered. We'll be going to WDW once every year in the forseable future probably for the next 8 years at least. I think we'll be staying at a different deluxe each time as I'd like to try them all. Me and DS would go more often but I don't think we'd be able to persuade DH as he likes his beach holidays too much at other times of the year and once at Disney is enough for him.

From the sounds of it, i think it would be good, maybe get like 180 points?
Josh

[JuniorMickey]

Remember that the 12 that Alec quoted is the minimum. there is a sticky in the DVC forum with the point charts for the different seasons and resorts

[PaulaK]

Remember that the 12 that Alec quoted is the minimum. there is a sticky in the DVC forum with the point charts for the different seasons and resorts


8 is the minimum for a studio weeknights. :)

[AlecK]

If I average out our costs (upfront fee + dues) it's currently costing us $6.67 per point per year.

This is an example of how it compares

A studio at beach club villas in Oct is 106 points per week (106 x 6.67) = $707.

The rack rate for this time is $345 per night = $2415 + tax.

Using your points at other DVC resorts is similar value; there are only small advantages however using your points at regular deluxe resorts (only about $30 a night savings).

[JuniorMickey]

Thanks for the correction Paula :thumbs: It's something I'd like to do some day :)

[Shellyamc]

Well this all makes much more sense now :thumbs:

I always thought of the DVC as a huge rip off! Somehow in asking my questions and getting my info I missed out on the 300 points "each" year. For some reason I was thinking that when your points ran out that you had to purchase more and I couldn't figure out how that would be a deal. Now it all makes for more sense. I will be looking into this when the baby is a little older.

Someone should come out with DVC for dummies :wink:

[PaulaK]

you may find you don't need anywhere near 300 points. We have that as we have 2 x 150 point contracts. Coming from the UK, we didn't feel 150 would be enough to come at least 2 weeks a year. US members are probably more flexible as you can go at lower points times and stay midweek for example. Points are much less Sun-Thurs. You can make fewer points stretch further if you avoid Fri/Sat. :thumbs:

[tweenie123]

I don't think it'd be worth it for us then as the only time we can go are school holidays. We usually go the first two weeks in August but have considered Easter or Christmas. I'd love to go in late September/October but it's impossible. I'll keep looking at other ways to get a good deal! I've just swopped my credit card to a Tesco Clubcard Credit card so that I can earn more points to swop for Virgin vouchers.

[OKWTink]

DVC is a good idea for folks who intend to holiday at WDW at least once every three years.

One of the flexible points of this program is that a member can bank points into the next year (unused points, all or some) and/or a member can borrow points from the upcoming year. I've done that a time or twenty. :blush:

So, you could bank the current year into the next year. When in the "next year" you could then borrow from the following year. That would give you three years of points to work with every three years.

Did that make sense? It's why once every three years is the standard break even sort of thing.

[tweenie123]

I think I'll have a good look at all the info on it and maybe when we're there this time, speak to the people at the DVC stand if we've got some time to spare.

[susieh]

We bought 220 points in 1996 when the boys were 12 and 14. Since then we bought 25 more in 2004 and will probably buy another 25 next year if we can afford it.

We've been every 2 to 3 years for 2 to 3 weeks each time with the exception of 2002 when DH and I went to HH for 10 days and the boys (plus friends) went to WDW for 10 days.

It paid for itself by 2001. This year we used the Dining Plan for the first time and we'll do that again by splitting our stays in future. If you intend to go to Disney every 3 years or less, enjoy staying in nice accommodation and either want plenty of space around you or want to share your vacation with family/friends from time to time then I would say it is definitely for you!

[megpeg]

well, i"m confused!!!
megpeg

[OKWTink]

About what? :)

[MARBELLA_CHRIS]

its the best money we ever spent, we have used DVC for tons of holidays

as well as going to disneyworld once a year, we have used it to stay in the best disney hotels, as well as using disney cruise line, trips to new york, skiing in colorado and trips back to london from where i live in spain.

great value in my opinion, we did buy when points were cheaper though....

[simbo]

I assume the points only cover accomodation and not tickets etc.

[OKWTink]

Right. You have to purchase your own tickets. However, there is a NICE discount on APs right now. :yes: