DVC...is it worth it?

[Captain Teague]

OK I'm sure I'm not the only scallywag to look into this and wonder...Is it really worth the money? I've looked at it up and down year after year. Time shares just aren't my thing as i don't want to be tied down to one place to vacation to. But DVC has the points thing to use elsewhere. Has anybody here bought in and then regretted it? or Bought in and loved it?

[Britchick]

I'm really interested in this debate, I see that some people buy resale at say vero beach then book 7months out for the resort they really want. As I would be going at quieter times in the future I wonder how easy that would be.

[lisaw]

I'm loving it - we have enough points for a decent length of stay every other year which works for us. We were very lucky to buy at a time when the exchange rate was very favourable for us in the UK as well.
We bought into it not really looking to save money but as a way to prepay for accomodation at a standard we wouldn't be able to/wouldn't justify affording if we were paying for it. (we always stayed at Values/moderates prior to DVC).

We own at AKV and booked there for the whole trip at 11 months out, at 7 months we changed half of the booking to BWV, we managed to get a preferred view and not our first choice BW view although we are waitlisted. That is August though and I know at other times like October for the F&W festival the Epcot resorts are harder to get at 7 months.

[Casey3557]

We have owned DVC for 19 years and have never regretted our decision. We are owners at the flagship DVC resort, OKW, and purchased 230 points (which was the minimum purchase at that time). We are still at that level and it works well for us. We were sort of at a crossroads with regards to where we would stay at WDW. The luxury hotels were becoming too expensive and while we liked many of the moderates, the rooms were often too small. We were not happy at the value hotels. So DVC was a good solution for us. When we purchased there was a promotion where you received free park tickets until 2000. So that was a huge incentive too.
We tend to visit outside of the busiest seasons, so we can visit more often and not “waste” points. We were there the first week of May and are returning again the week before Thanksgiving. Due to school schedules, we have sometimes been “forced” to go at the end of either June or August, but we try to avoid that because none of us is a fan of the summer weather in Orlando. We live close enough – within a 2-hour flight – that we can often find affordable air fare. In fact, we have booked trips around an especially good fare, but that happens less often now than it did in the past.
We love OKW because of the spaciousness of the units and the relaxed, laid-back ambience of the resort. It really does feel like home to us and we are sad to go back to our real home!
We have taken extended family with us on a few occasions and have booked the Grand Villa, which is wonderfully comfortable and expansive. For the most part, we book either a one or two bedroom villa so that everyone has their own bed.
We truly enjoy our stays. We know we have the ability to book trips to other places. But we traveled quite a bit before purchasing DVC (Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, cruising, extensive US travel) and are very happy with our Orlando visits at this point in time. We have stayed at most of the other DVC properties and have enjoyed our stays there as well.

[Slowhand]

We too have been DVC members for a long time [since 1992 to be exact], and OKW is also our home resort.
I echo the comments made by Casey3557, and our only regret was not purchasing more points than we did at the time.
That said, with a bit of banking and borrowing points, the 310 points that we have enable us to do the occasional cruise for "free", and despite the fact that we own a villa in Florida, we quite often use the points to pay for a few nights at our favourite resort, the GF, which is now like our second home!

It sure was one of my better decisions, and by now I have recouped my initial investment over and over again.

[Missus T]

We just bought into DVC the other day. We called and had a CM explain it to us the other day, he was very good at explaining everything without being the least bit pushy. By the time he finished talking, we realized it didn't make any sense not to buy into to DVC.

for example, we had reservations this year for Port Orleans Riverside. Including 7 day tickets with park hopper option it cost $1500 for my husband and I. Given the fact that we both LOVE Disney like most people on this board and have been several years in a row, we could assume we'll be returning to Disney as much as possible in the future. We're bringing my in laws and it was $1500 for their package as well. We are now staying at Old Key West in a 2 bedroom villa for 217 points. we purchased the 100 point package and were given last years 100 as part of a promotion. you can rent up to 24 points for $15 per point. So we're taking my in laws and now it's just going to cost $255 for the group. Booking this room normally would cost $4,218.

you can pay up front or finance for 10 years-you get to go for 50 (actually 50 from the opening of the resort is what our CM told us, but we made Bay Lake Towers our home and so we get 50). Some of the points seem a bit weird, sometimes the places you think should cost more actually cost less and vice versa. But we got a much nicer place for much less money. If you're going to go frequently anyway, it seems to make much more sense to pay in this way. We're going to spend 50 years staying at deluxe resorts that we never could have afforded before. Hooray!!

[Slowhand]

"Welcome Home" Missus T.
OKW is our home resort although it`s been quite a few years since we last stayed there. It really is a lovely resort and so relaxing isn`t it?

[Missus T]

Thanks, Slowhand! we've never been to OKW, but i'm sure we'll love it. my husband read some less than favorable reviews on trip advisor, but i've heard mostly good things about it here. either way, we can't wait!!

[catrancher]

I surely do wish I could get my DW to go for this. I've tried and tried but she's adamantly opposed to "owing" anybody. And as we're starting to get a little older and staring a rather fixed income in the face, I suppose it makes sense.
Oh well.

But years ago, when they first started DVC, I took the tour of OKW. This was years before my DW and I married. At that time, I thought it was about perfect. And the many times I've seen it since, my opinion hasn't changed. Wish to heck I had bought into it back then!

Tom (... so it goes!)

[Slowhand]

.. my husband read some less than favorable reviews on trip advisor, but i've heard mostly good things about it here. either way, we can't wait!!

Some folks love to moan about anything Missus T.
I`d take many of the comments on Trip Advisor with a pinch of salt.