I just finished reading Pete's post on the unintended benefits of being a DVC owner. I took some time to really think about my thoughts and my feelings and not everyone would understand them but I think some people here will get it! (warning its about to get long and mushy up in this post)
I came from VERY humble backgrounds, was homeless for awhile as a child, was hospitalized for malnutrition, child of mentally ill single mom, you get the picture. As an adult my husband left me and my three children and emptied my bank account on the way out. Disney was for the "other people" the people with normal lives, the people who were not me!
I worked my rear end off in two jobs and then one day I won an award that would change my life so to speak and definitely changed the life of at least one of my children. I won Interpreter of the Year for the company I work for (ASL interpreter/teacher here) My prize was a trip voucher for 3000.00 and I decided to take a once in a lifetime trip to Disney World. My kids and I two of them now in college and one still in HS had such a good time. I watched as my son's eyes lit up as we watched festival of fantasy and he said "I want to do this someday" I realized I had come a long way and worked hard to get there. I also realized that trip that DW had a bubble and vowed the next time I came, and I would come again, I wanted to stay on property. I saved and was able to help send my daughter on a honeymoon to DW and on a cruise and she came back with rave reviews about staying on property. My son graduated from HS made it through one semester of college and applied for the DCP. Of course I had to go visit him right? We stayed in the cabins and used the dining plan for the first time. The amount of stress saved for a person like me who even though finances have changed for me, still worries constantly about not having enough money, is worth EVERY penny of the dining plan. A prepaid vacation is a lifesaver for people like me!
My son came home, missed the Mouse and went back again to chase his dreams. I started to realize that maybe DVC was for me, maybe just maybe I could be one of those people. I didn't want to go into debt for it though, I had worked to hard to buy my first house and dig myself out of the whole I was dropped in by my ex. But, then something amazing happened my house value went up so when I sold my first house for something that could hold a multi generational family I had enough to buy points!! I bought resale points after listening to Pete's DVC podcasts and then when I went to see my son a month ago I bought direct. I haven't even stayed at DVC yet, my first trip isn't until February. However, my perks were immediate this last trip. I did the WAVE dinner package with Top of the World, I went to the EPCOT lounge, I used my discount, my magic band turned the Mickey purple.
Now that I've bored you with my life story lets get to the real value of those benefits. I stood at the Top of the World watching not the fireworks, but watching the faces of my daughter and her husband and their young son, my own son's smile, my oldest daughter and her fiancée staring across while the fireworks left splashes of color on their faces and I cried. I cried because the happiness I saw, the happiness I felt and knowing that they would never know how it feels to go to bed hungry, that they would never know what it was like to watch everyone around you go on vacations but never go yourself. I cried because DVC and Disney has afforded me the opportunity to help us make memories as a family, new memories that don't include the times we had to scrape together coins to buy gas or pencils for school. It has given me a moment to realize that just like Tianna hard work will pay of for me, but also a little bit of pixie dust can help that dream along. DVC and Disney has helped them remember the belief in fairy tales and more importantly in our own Happily Ever After!
What are your unintended benefits to DVC ownership/Disney fanship?
