So I need some help with my thought process - because I am sure I am missing something!
We’ve been looking at purchasing a 100 point resale DVC contract (leaning towards AKL). A few things: We would be able to purchase with cash, plan to keep it until it’s deed expiration in 2057, can financially support the annual dues with yearly increases (assuming 3-6% annually), plan to go every 1-2 years, and we tend to go in the “cheaper” seasons.
We almost always stay at POP and will only ever need a studio. Most things I’ve read has said that if you don’t normally stay deluxe, DVC is not worth it - but by my calculations it looks like a 100 point resale at AKL at a decent price would actually cost roughly the same as POP. Generally I pay somewhere from $120 - $200 per night at POP. So a 7 night stay is somewhere around $840-$1400. With a contract that costs $10,500 divided by the 37 years remaining on the deed comes out to about $284 a year plus the current annual dues of $767 - For 2020 I would be looking at about $1051.
Assuming direct room prices rise some with the annual dues, wouldn’t this make sense, not necessarily to save money - but to spend a reasonable amount and to lock myself in for disney vacations every 1-2 years? Or am I delusional?
Over the course of your membership, you will pay far more in annual dues than the initial cost of the points.
Annual dues have typically risen by single digit figures (3-6%) but they can rise by 15% a year. And any property taxes are not included in that figure. When Copper Creek villas opened, the property taxes on BRV (the original WL villas) rocketed. This does happen, and DVC will always appeal and sometimes win, but you should be aware of the possibility.
Also hopefully you are aware you won’t get any perks. Neither DVC perks, like the AP deal, nor of course the discounts, free dining, kids eat free type of Disney deals. You may get some shopping / restaurant discounts - they don’t always ask for a blue card and sometimes a white digital one will suffice; ditto the Tables in Wonderland card.
And be aware they can suspend banking &/or borrowing of points. Currently they are limiting borrowing to 50% of points, for example.
Your calculations were the same as mine when I decided to buy. I decided the dues increases would be relative to the increases in hotel room costs. Both will go up. If you will book between 7-11 months out and happy staying at your home resort, you can count on studio availability. Otherwise, that is where studio-only stays can get you in trouble.
One thing to note - make sure the number of points you are figuring you will need is for a standard or above room - the value studios are nearly impossible to get.
Also, it looks like you are comparing $1,051 per year to $840-1,400 every other year, correct? So it’s clearly more, but still reasonable in exchange for a better room category. (Also, if you won’t need all your points, you can rent out some, which would offset the affect of this.)
Although you should bear in mind that this year and next will be tough. Even at 11 months out. With limiting borrowing, those with small contracts will only be able to stay in studios.
When working out the per year cost, the one question to ask yourself is “Am I really going to want to go to WDW every year for the next 37 years?” Situations change, interests change, and then you are stuck with something that either no longer works for you, no longer appeals, or appeals less than something else.
This is the big reason why I do not like timeshares - I have been to a number of presentations, and even though some of them are appealing in terms of an overall value for money proposition, I get stuck at “what if I can’t / don’t want to do this anymore?” This goes double for DVC, which has far fewer options for what you can do with your membership than other timeshares like Hilton and Marriott.
I agree with this. My husband is an attorney and people have paid him to try to help them get out of timeshares. We have been offered a family member’s non-Disney timeshare for “free” to pay the annual fees only and we said no. Why commit your money to Disney (in unknown sums that you are nonetheless held to) for 37 years going forward? None of us know for certain how our health, interests and finances may change in even one year. The past few months are a stellar example of that. I am happy staying at Pop and even happier if I can get a good deal on a deluxe or free dining, but whether and how much I spend at Disney is entirely at my discretion each year. I would have a hard time giving up that control.
These are all very true points. However, I would add, the one advantage of DVC, at this moment, is that it has a strong resale and point rental market, so there is something else you can do with your points. Sell or rent them. This was a huge factor for me in deciding to buy, even though I know there is no guarantee it will always be this way. It is also why I won’t buy a contract that expires in 2042. If we decide in 15 years thay Disney is not our thing, I have a better chance of selling a contract with 22 years left than one with 7.
I am older but my son loves Disney as much as I do. I bought knowing that I was buying for him. I have enough points that he can go yearly, but if he wants, he can go every few years. He can also rent half of the points to pay dues if he wants.
One thought on renting out the points later. I suspect the rental market has been damaged. I know I went from middling on renting points to “heck no” unless it is the last minute.
I agree - for the next few months, or even the next year or so, the rental market will be damaged until the market regains confidence that this sort of shutdown will not become the norm. Eventually things will return to where they were (but hopefully with some contract clause changes, and perhaps a slightly larger discount to renters). The market for staying at Disney is still hot, and people will take on all sorts of risks to save a buck.
I’m renting points to a liner. And I’ll have more to rent out next year.
I just added a “*force majeure” clause into a standard rental agreement. That and I’ve left the money in my PayPal account in case I have to refund - so as not to lose out on the foreign exchange rate. I guess I learned the hard way.
We all have different reasons for joining DVC, but I’m enjoying my resale points at Bay Lake and we haven’t even used them yet.
My husband’s extended family is planning a trip in 2021, with 15 family members aged 3-70. The decision was to rent points for a 2-bd and 2 studios at Bay Lake. When we added up the cost, and assuming lake view since standard is so hard to get, my husband and I realized that it would cover half of our purchase cost if his parents would be willing to rent from us instead of David’s, etc.
So we took the plunge. We had a BLT studio booked with some 2019 points we received as part of the purchase, planning to rent it. We never got any bites on the rental, and then COVID happened and cancelled our 20th anniversary cruise…so we’re hoping to be able to make a Disney anniversary happen!
Our son is 17 and loves Disney. We bought it for many years of Disney trips with him and hopefully, down the road, with his family.
All of this to say, it can make real sense in certain circumstances. I hope you will enjoy many happy years of DVC ownership. (Oh…and prices, ROFR, and comissions are down right now, so it’s a great time to buy resale!)
I agree with you; however, my family’s thinking when it comes to Disney’s trips is very different and
this is part of the reason we bought DVC via resale.
Keep in mind that "my family: is my parents and sister and we are all paying our own way on WDW trips.
We are NOT happy at Pop or any Value resort and when it comes ot moderates, we are only okay with POR, CSR and Gran Destino (in the case of my dad, only GD).
The hotel is the cornerstone of each family trip for us. We have been going to WDW for over 25 years with increasing frequency as the kids get older and we intend to go every 2 years for another 20 years.
We end up staying primarily at Deluxe resorts (WL and AKL)
We have at least 4 adults on these trips which means 2 x $35 (plus tax) in adult occupancy fees for a room.
We need 2 rooms at our preferred hotels for 5 adults (a number we frequently have in our party)
We typically travel in late May or June. Usually travelling over Memorial Day weekend. Not an ideal time for cash room rates.
The above means that we end up renting DVC points for big savings.
When we rent DVC points, we have little control over our reservations. In order to have control, we would have to pay extra for insurance.
The end result is that buying our own resale DVC contract was comparable to renting for 10 years money-wise plus owning meant being in-control of our reservations.
We purchased BLT via resale because it has an excellent location (walking distance to MK is a game changer for us plus my mom has always wanted to stay at the Contemporary, but can’t justify the price tag for the tower rooms). It also has a lower maintenance fee and 40 years left on the deed so we can potentially sell it.
I am wondering if there might be an upswing in leasing points in the short term, especially to those who planned on barrowing points and now find themselves short for their planned, future trips?
