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| | | Earning My Ears
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 2/16/2008 8:21:23 AM
Posts: 20, Visits: 74 |
| | I just got back from Disneyworld and attended an open house for the vacation club. It is $104.00 a point. It cost $16,640 for the 160 point per year package. You pay the over 10 years. Plus you have annual dues of around $739 (was told that it goes up about 4% per year). Rooms were awesome! I am thinking about joining, but do not know if I have the money right now. The interest to finance it is 10.75%. That seems a little high. And you have to put at least 10% down. They are offer a credit of $1600 or 200 points (must be used in 12 months). I think they should have a little more for the vacation club members. Like separate buses to the parks, automatic fast passes (like the ones we received at the open house) or better discounts off dining, merchandise or park hopper passes. I am thinking about it but I do not know. I figure over 50 years with annual dues I will pay about $75,000 - $80,000 for the 50 years (including annual dues going up). I do not know if I will vacation that much in 50 years. We take a Disney Vacation every 2 years. What do you guys/gals that are vacation club members think? Thanks! |
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Sorcerer Mickey
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 11/17/2008 5:38:21 PM
Posts: 10,885, Visits: 6,229 |
| | I would love to know the answer to this as well. I actually just ordered the DVD to find out more info. Andy and I were just talking though - and straight off the top, it sounds like a losing proposition. (based on how much it takes for hotel nights at Disneyland). Are we totally confused? Leanne
 
May All Your Days Be Filled With Magic! And your nights full of Disney Dreams! |
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Mickey Mouse
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/30/2008 11:01:39 PM
Posts: 536, Visits: 499 |
| | We are owners of the DVC and I think there's some confusion about how it works. First of all, you don't have to finance, but if you do the financing may be a little different for each owner because they finance you based on your credit, just like when you buy a house or car. Our loan is for 5 years; I didn't even know that you could get a 10-year loan. That seems weird to me. Anyway, when you buy into it you're owning real estate which you can claim on your taxes. You can buy as many points as you'd like and the rate is $104 a point. We decided the best plan to start with was 160 points, which currently is little over $16,000. Well, once you pay the $16,000 you OWN the real estate free and clear. 160 points is about a week's worth (8 days, 7 nights) of vacation every year, on the average. Well, you can get a really nice suite with a full kitchen at WDW and for a suite at the WDW Resort you're probably going to pay at least $200-$300 a night. We went to WDW and paid over $150 a night for a standard room 4 years ago in September at one of the WDW hotels. I don't even know what the rates are during the summer or during the hollidays there. So, if you pay $250 a night for a suite for 7 nights, that's $1750. Over 50 years, you're going to pay over $87,000 for a week's worth of vacation a year. And that's assuming you pay $250 a night every year for the next 50 years. When you consider inflation and the way that hotel rates are going up, you're going to end up paying a lot more than $87,000 by the time 50 years is up. It is true that you pay a maintenance/property fee; this is used for up-keep of your property and housekeeping services and the like; we paid $50 a month this past year. Once again, if you pay $50 a month, that's $600 a year. That's $30,000 for 50 years. So, you pay a total of $46,000 over a period of 50 years with the DVC for property that you own free and clear and you can vacation at for a week every year. That's still less than half of what you will pay staying in a suite that you pay $250 a night for. And WDW is not the only place you can stay. There's something like over 400 locations that you can stay at around the world (you can stay at the international resorts for a week for 160 points a year) and you get to stay at 5-star resorts with full kitchens, living areas, and all the amenities. You can also sell your property and make a profit, like you would selling your house. And if you decided you can't travel anymore after owning the property for 30 years, you can pass it on to your children and then they can enjoy the property for the last 20 years. So if you consider what you would have to pay to stay at these kinds of resorts at their regular rates, in the long run it's well worth it to buy into the DVC. We decided to buy into the DVC because we could no longer afford to stay at the DL Resort because the rates have gotten ridiculously high, IMHO. Just to stay at the Paradise Pier with our AP rates, it's $129 a night on the off season and we could forget trying to afford staying there for New Years at over $200 a night. With our DVC points, we stay at the DL Hotel because it costs less points to stay there than the PP Hotel. I don't know why but anyway... I think that if you enjoy staying at the Disney Resorts and you'd rather pay the money to stay on property than off property at a neighboring hotel, you're going to save money in the long run. But I recommend going to a presentation and looking into it for yourselves. They do not pressure you into buying and they are very helpful in explaining how it all works. I don't think it's worth it for everyone; it depends on how much you go on vacation and how often you visit one of the Disney Resorts. But going to a presentation will answer all of your questions and bring clarity to how it works. Lisa 
Lisa Totally Tigger  
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| | | Plastic Ears
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/1/2008 7:15:28 PM
Posts: 2, Visits: 3 |
| | how do u get to be a memeber ? |
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Sorcerer Mickey
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 11/17/2008 5:38:21 PM
Posts: 10,885, Visits: 6,229 |
| | To become a member you can either stop at the kiosk at Disneyland or WDW, call them, or go to their website and email them. I can tell you after checking for myself, the approximate cost to join this year is $16,400.00. Leanne
May All Your Days Be Filled With Magic! And your nights full of Disney Dreams! |
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| | | Earning My Ears
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/23/2008 4:34:02 PM
Posts: 83, Visits: 130 |
| Once my hubby has his full papers with immigration and can travel everywhere, maybe we will look into this.... i don't know if it would be worth it for us... (speacially now since he can't travel lol  ....) But maybe in the future it would... i don't see how it would hurt to go to a info meeting just to find out whats happening... it sounds like alot of money but once you pay their inital 15,000 which is the  shocker about it... the "annual fee" isn't that bad... for a hotel outside of disney its atleast 70-80 a night and if you your paying 50 a month its probley what you would be putting away anywayz... but one thing i would really look into is how much the price would go up each year... thats something you would have to check out! As i said it wouldn't hurt to listen to what they have to say... and if you don't like the idea.... just say sorry i'm not interested and walk away  .....
Ashley... waiting till i can go back to disneyland!! |
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Sorcerer Mickey
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 11/17/2008 5:38:21 PM
Posts: 10,885, Visits: 6,229 |
| I know - we intended to sit through a meeting on our last trip and never had the time. If we do this trip - looking pretty doubtful right now though, we will do the meeting.
May All Your Days Be Filled With Magic! And your nights full of Disney Dreams! |
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| | | Earning My Ears
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/23/2008 4:34:02 PM
Posts: 83, Visits: 130 |
| Yea thats another thing... if your plans are jam packed your not gonna wanna sit through a info session.... I was talking to a family friend tonight... and she said she went to one when she was at wdw... she said since she is older 60's it wouldn't be right for her but its something me and elvin might want to look at one day.... but she says it is ALOT of money and something you really have to think about if its right for your family....
Ashley... waiting till i can go back to disneyland!! |
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Sorcerer Mickey
Group: Forum Moderators
Last Login: Yesterday @ 10:31:43 PM
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