Disney Vacation Club Pros and Cons

[Brian Noble]

You don't actually care.

I do care---it would be unfortunate if someone reading this thread, considering a DVC purchase, came away with the idea that DVC was a sensible way to take "an Orlando vacation" (which it is not) rather than "a Disney vacation" (which it can be).

 

[stwaldman]

maybe just to frame it differently, because there's just an inherent disagreement on the benefits of staying at a resort like SSR or OKW which arent park adjacent (and also have more of a TS feel)...

the pro here of owning DVC is probably buying into a "Disney" property with all of the sentimental and tangible benefits of staying on disney property, but that you might take the pressure off of the need to be in the parks constantly as many do when they are doing the value/moderate rat race (and for which the hotel/ticket packages often are linked to having a park ticket for every day of the stay). this is a pro that only applies to people who actually were staying in those value/mod resorts, but does not apply to people who were fine staying at the sheraton or marriot or wherever (of which there are plenty).

Its plenty articulated in these boards, but the value in DVC is always closely tied to what you place value on and what type of travel you're turning away from in order to travel via DVC. For some people, that value is going to be different and for some it will just mean DVC isn't worth it. At least in my experience, i always thought this was one of the few "sales pitches" that the guides were pretty honest on too (at least to me). The math works if you're comparing disney on property to disney on property, or comparing studio/hotel room accomodations to bigger accommodations. The math stops working if you're a traveler that's totally fine in a property adjacent hotel room.

 

[Brian Noble]

That's a pretty accurate summary of what I tend to tell people, which is that DVC makes sense if you can say yes to all three of the following:

1: You plan to visit WDW at least every other year for at least the next 10-15 years.
2: You would never consider staying in a non-Disney resort.
3: You mostly stay in a mix of Moderate to Deluxe resorts.

In that specific situation, DVC is likely to save you money on the lodging component. Otherwise, you may or may not be upgrading what you are doing now at a price that may or may not be worth it to you.

 

[Brian Noble]

(And if you, like me, perfer 1BRs to studios, all bets are off, but that's another post.)

 

[jscottnc]

Another key DVC question:
4. You can plan your vacation AT LEAST 7 months in advance.

 

[Brian Noble]

Good point!

 

[Lumpy1106]

Biggest PRO (for me) is that you book the stay 11 months out and you ARE going. Before DVC we'd debate so much about trips that we would sometimes not go at all. I love planning though - if you can't imagine locking your trip in 7-11 months in advance DVC likely isn't for you.

Biggest CON is that MFs are due at the beginning of the year NMW. We are banking 2022 points into 2023 and we aren't even going to WDW this year. It doesn't matter - we still have to pay 2022 MFs.

 

[Lumpy1106]

What tipped it for us is that my family of 5 "aged out" of staying in a studio. We got moved to an AoA family Suite one time and that did it - we just were not comfortable squeezing into a studio anymore (that goes for outside of Disney too). The kitchen saves us a good amount of money as we have breakfast in the room every day and dinner any day the park closes early (looking at you DAK). It also allows us to plan and pack a lunch (popcorn buckets are surprisingly good at protecting sandwiches from getting smushed). It's really nice packing CLEAN clothes for the trip home too.

 

[DisMagicMa]

The other advantage of buying direct is that resale DVC points *may not* be able to be used at future resorts. Right now riviera is the only one with these restrictions in place but DLT probably will and Poly 2 is unknown.

I don’t care about the free drinks but I do want to be able to stay where I want.

I'm waiting on ROFR for a VGC resale contract and I JUST found out about possible future restrictions on VDH (Disneyland tower). Needless to say, there will most likely be another small contract in my future - direct this time!

 

[crisi]

That is making a large assumption that people who are DVC are using their points for theme park access. Many DVC members use the room as typical timeshare to vacation in Orlando, but this timeshare lets you at multiple resorts pending availability and points.

But realistically I am saving money because comparing against the cheapest level room. If I add Pop or Coronado to the equation it is:

2 Rooms at Pop is $2826.00

2 Room at Coronado is $3429.04

I think its a fair assumption to make. Not many people are going to want to go to Disney regularly to stay in an on property resort and not visit the theme parks. Disney is nice, but there are nicer hotels, nicer pools, better restaurants (and cheaper!) not just in Orlando, but all over the world to spend your vacation dollar at - many which will end up being cheaper vacations. I suppose there are some, and for those few people, DVC might be a good deal. But then my previous advice still stands, make sure to understand what you are getting, and in particular - availability. If you are buying for SAB because its a great pool and you are going to skip theme parks to spend your time by the pool, then owning BCV is pretty important as is planning ahead.

 

[igrsod]

I LOVE owning our DVC. I wish we had bit the bullet sooner.
Pros: We save money on our yearly Disney trip.
We get to stay at AKL every trip if we want to and never worry about the cost.
We get to take friends and family with us to enjoy the magic.

Cons: You want to go more often
You constantly want to buy more points
You need to plan far in advance (only a con if you like to book last minute vacations)(although we have pieced together last minute long weekend trips.... so it's possible)

 

[xdan0920]

Another key DVC question:
4. You can plan your vacation AT LEAST 7 months in advance.

This, it appears, is THE single most important aspect. If you aren’t ready too book AT 11 months DVC is not for you.

 

[Splashboat]

I skimmed through this thread and didn't see a mention of point charts, if so, I apologize if this is redundant.

Do not assume because you see a value AK studio or standard BWV 2 bedroom... that you will be able to book it, especially during busy times even if you try right at the 11 month window.
Also, do not plan your # of points assuming they will stay as you see them now.

We originally bought BW 150 points (including additional banked resale points) with a plan to go for a week in the first 2 weeks of December. We were able to do that for years for 154 points for the week in a 1 bedroom standard view. Then the point chart changes began. In 2023, the same room is going to be 180 points for those same weeks. So, just keep that in mind when looking at how many points you think you will want.