Aww, thank you so much for sharing that amazing story of your first DVC stay! I’m currently looking at getting a DVC contract, but my wife and I JUST got married(at Disney!), so we have a couple other things to buy financially before we start looking at getting a contract. My biggest fear is that Disney will start reducing more and more of the benefits that members get over time in order to increase profit margins.
My biggest fear was putting out all the money and finding out too late that there was some fine print I wasn't understanding. Your videos alleviated ALL those fears. The education you provide is amazing and made it possible to make a huge decision with confidence. We are so pleased with our decision to purchase a BWV resale contract and have NO regrets.
First I teared up listening to you describe your first trip and then you got me again when you teared up. Ugh! You are right. So much joy!! Tremendous value!!
Coming back with a very exciting update! We happened to be at the Grand Floridian today (we’re locals) and we ended up going home with a really sweet new backpack 😉🎉 Thank you so much for putting this video out there! Hearing your story and seeing everyone else talk through their fears really helped us get over that last hurdle.
Thank you so much for this video. You have really hit right place, right time for me. We are going to Disney next week and made plans to buy at the Riviera. Last few days I've been getting cold feet a bit but watching your video reaffirmed why we are purchasing DVC for our family. I've run the numbers so many times my wife is tired of excel sheets lol. Biggest fear is just the finances but I know we can make it work. Thank you again for the continued great content!
Oh, I'm so glad that the timing was right for you. It was hard for me when we first bought in because I didn't really know other DVC members because there aren't very many where we live. I didn't have much opportunity to talk with anyone else who owned, so it was tough to feel more comfortable about the purchase or get an idea of who the members were. I'm excited for you to buy your Riviera contract! We never bought in person, our direct contracts were bought over the phone, so I'm envious that you get to go in person! Have a great trip!
Your content is great. I appreciate your pace and tone. Really helping us make our decision. The moment at the fireplace…. We have been there on a Disney Cruise recently. Great work and thank you
I love your videos! I loved hearing about your first dvc stay. I am even more excited about my first stay now at our home resort which is AKL too! You are a girl after my own heart. I am sure many happy tears will be shed. Lol! I will definitely add on in the future after (I hope) my husband becomes an addict. Thanks!
Oh, there's definitely hope for turning your husband into a Disney nut! My husband liked the idea of Disney but only had one family vacation there as a kid. Once I took him to Disney World (the park that I visited one weekend a month each summer as a kid), he caught the bug! I hope you have a wonderful "welcome home" stay!
I just found your channel and have watched a few videos the last few days. You do a great job explaining DVC. This video in particular was great. You had me tearing up with you. I'm not a DVC member but I hope one day to be. Thanks for sharing this.
What a wonderful story you shared! I am simultaneously the worrier AND the person who wants DVC in our family. My partner doesn't have an emotional attachment with Disney yet because he's never been. Hoping to change that this summer! Thanks so much for this wonderful video!
Do you have any DVC fears? Tell us about your present or past DVC fears. Check out more DVC videos here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1oGx7aOVSWonZw9QaL-JIFJt3BF6Voc0.html
Honestly now a days I think my biggest fear is that maybe one day we will start to think we are more interested in universal?!?! Hehe 😜 although we have not been there in some time!
Hi! Lovely video. I appreciate all of the DVC educational content you and Randall do. We were fearful that our preferred vacation weeks would not be readily available at the 11-mo window at our home resort. However, the new GF studios seems to have relieved some of the tightness in the reservation system. We were able to book our next two stays - the first we waitlisted and got it secured within a week! Yay!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic hi, Jenn, you are correct. We have Grand Floridian as our home resort. I, too, am our family's resident worrier - so we decided to go with a small, direct contract for our first venture into an (insert gasp!) time-share! AND I am also the one who pushed for DVC because it fits our vacation needs and fills an emotional need for me to know our family is set for vacationing together in a place where we already have lovely memories.
Thank you Dr. Jenn! 👩⚕️ I am ready for my DVC Therapy session! 😇 I own 2 Non-DVC timeshares, one of which is located right on WDW property! 😜 So, I must go to therapy! Indeed, do not finance the contracts! I love your videos and analysis! 🤔🥳💙💜❤️🎉
Awww! You’re so sweet! Thank you for supporting our small, handmade, “atisanal” DVC channel! 😉 I was surprised that I got as emotional as I did in this video but I’m all about authenticity, so you all get to watch me get teary-eyed! Thanks for watching today! 👋
Our biggest fear by far is studio availability. We ran the numbers front to back (plus binged all your videos 😉) and decided DVC was the perfect fit for our family. Got as far as contract signing at the beginning of this month and unfortunately had to back out. We felt terrible since our guide was so great, but when we logged in to our new account we realized there was *nothing* before our 2022 use year would be up (feb). We totally recognize that the 7 month window was over the busiest times of the year, but we were really panicked about committing and it potentially not improving. Our plan now is to keep an eye on availability after the holiday time and hopefully get back under a contract in a month or so 🤞
That was one of my fears too which is a big part of the reason we just bought at the grand Floridian - all of the new rooms are studios. They’re not the cheapest option, but the location is excellent and even the lake view studios are less than the cheapest one bedroom at any other resort. I also figured that we can try to switch elsewhere at 7 months and because most other resorts are cheaper we could try out anything else that happened to have availability that week and bank the extra points.
Fear is that points will go up. Again. Our birthdays and anniversary are in the Fall... and technically they can mandate mutiple days stays. Even a week. And you are right about 2042.
DVC is very difficult to utilize if you do not plan way in advance. The demand for DVC bookings is crushing year round, and very unforgiving if you have to re-arrange dates. You will be on the app scouring for any cancelations or patching together a stay at different properties if you can't get your stay at one resort due to availability issues. DVC is best for people who can plan 7 months to a year in advance. 7 months is even cutting it close trying to get a decent reservation. The Deluxe properties are wonderful, and the experience of being on property unrivaled.
You're absolutely right. It's very difficult for last minute planning or those who need to make changes. On the other hand, we've found that Disney World cash stays can be equally limiting. A friend of mine tends to stay at moderate resorts and on multiple trips she's had to take her 2nd or 3rd choice resort because of lack of availability of reservations for her stay - even 6+ months in advance. So, I think the advance planning can be an issue for Disney World as a whole, not just with DVC. Thank you so much for watching!
We closed on our first contract earlier this year. Fortunately it was a fully loaded contract so we had some 2021 points to burn. While we have a long trip booked in a few weeks, my son and I were able to escape life in Colorado a few weeks ago while mom was on a business trip for four nights at Kidani Village. I remember telling him “don’t worry if you don’t get to ride every ride. We’re relaxing on this trip. We’ll be back in a few months and then again in the fall. And the spring and on and on.” That made the four night last minute getaway so much fun. A word on last minute though. It was pure luck that we got the room. This one bedroom unit was the only available room at any DVC property for then five days that we had. Don’t count on last minute trips. They are a rare treat.
I totally agree about last minute trips. For DVC, I consider "last minute" to mean less then about 5 months. We took a "last minute" trip once when we booked in April for a July trip. We were able to pull together a 5 night stay in a standard view studio at Saratoga Springs. Anything most "last minute" than that, and I think we would have been out of luck. Thanks so much for watching!
This was booked about a week before the trip. I lucked up on airfare too and found a really cheap direct flight (really hard to do right now). It all worked out so well and was a nice father/son getaway.
I’ve been considering purchasing since I go with my niece and her children at least once a year now if not twice. Been doing lots of research and watching your video helped. My decision is which home resort and UY..lol, since we vacation around my niece’s children school vacation days. My husband is not a big Disney fan but he loves that I have my niece to travel with and he is ok with purchasing a DVC since we are traveling more. We stayed at AK (with renting points) and I, like you, was like WOW and fell in love. We would like to try more DVC’s before making the final decision. Many thanks!
You should definitely visit some of the other resorts. It gives you a great excuse to dine at the various DVC resorts or get a drink at each one! I think AKV is a great choice, especially if you're planning on purchasing a resale contract, because it's got many years left on the contracts, but they aren't as expensive as some other resorts. I'm so glad you've found the video helpful. We have many more about purchasing DVC here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1oGx7aOVSWpzi-Jf38ixUFmhzM03xuu-.html Best wishes!
Great video! I know we can afford it and I know we would love the Deluxe resorts. We live a couple of hours from Orlando and we have stayed on property 9 nights in the last year in moderate and deluxe resorts in 1 to 2 day stays. DVC would probably make more sense than paying cash for our stays. However, our jobs don't allow for 11 month or even 7 month planning so we're sadly afraid DVC isn't for us. My mother used to own DVC and I have great memories associated with it and would love it for us but we're definitely afraid to purchase.
Yeah, the fact that you’re not able to plan as far in advance is kind of a deal-breaker for DVC. At least it sounds like you have access to Florida resident discounts and other things that make it easier to have fantastic stays at DW. Thanks so much for watching!
Yeah, that makes sense. Another great option is renting DVC points. It allows you to get many of the benefits of DVC ownership, without the commitment.
When you got emotional, I got emotional!!! lol... I have bought two resale contracts this year, but we will be using our DVC points for the first time next year!!! I think then it will feel real. It was maybe a harder decision for us, as we're in the UK. But we wanted a way to keep coming back and stay on site and return to resorts like AKL and the Poly!
Congrats on your new contracts! I'm sure you'll have an amazing trip! I know it's been so difficult for my friends in the UK to not be able to travel for such a long time. I'm so thrilled that you're able to travel once again. Thank you for watching.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Thank you!!! .... So disappointed by the new bay lake tower lounge news. Really hoping there has been some mistake and they all it for all members again!!
Oh! Congratulations! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! I agree that the heart wants what the heart wants... and THIS heart wanted a couple of AKV contracts! I think you made a great choice! Be sure to let me know if you pass ROFR. Best wishes!
We've considered DVC many times - I've run the numbers probably 100 times - and there's just no situation where it's worth it for us. We love Disney, but Disney vacations aren't the only place we vacation, or even the most common place we vacation. I know we can bank or sell points during non-Disney years, but that's more work than I am interested to put in, so on a Mexico or Hawai'i or Europe or whatever vacation year I don't want to stress about our unused points. Beyond that, once the cost of financing at least part of a contract, plus dues and fees are accounted for, that annual investment into DVC would be much greater than we spend when I plan ahead and book trips early, so we'd be locking ourselves into a price point that is higher than we really want to commit to for Disney trips. DVC looks super cool, and admittedly being a DVC member are the Grand Californian or the new Disneyland Hotel wing would be an absolute dream, but for our vacation habits and finances it just - sadly - doesn't make sense for us.
It's really good that you're realistic about what your vacation needs are. Some people get caught up in the moment when they're on a vacation and end up making a huge DVC impulse-buy. It's good that you've thought it through and know what works best for you. Thanks so much for watching! 👋
Thank you for this. I have some of these fears but my family loves WDW so I am buying 150 pts at Grand Floridian in 2 weeks. Really looking forward to spending a couple of nights at as many resorts as possible over the next 10 years. For an extra 4K I can get an extra 25 pts. I may do that.
Congrats! If you love DW, visit on a regular basis, staying on property, and you can plan 7-11 months in advance, with the cash on hand to make the purchase, it makes sense.
Great video with valid points! I can recognize that financing DVC definitely adds to the cost but IF history continues the price will grow more than the cost of financing over the next ten years or at least that’s what it has done in the past. Even with financing a resale contract will save you money over every hotel except the all stars. Just some thought because I’ve ran those numbers as well.
You make a good point. If you're someone who already pays for a deluxe resort, it's definitely still a good value. We generally stayed in moderate resorts before purchasing DVC, so for us it was a matter of staying at deluxe resorts for a similar cost to the moderates. Thanks so much for watching!
Hi Jenn! Thank you for all the wonderful content! We were finally able to go this past spring break after postponing for over a year and it was amazing! I was so happy to share my love of Disney with my family. I'm not as worried about the initial cost of owning- I can save for that. But, I am worried about the implication of compounding dues for potentially 4 decades! Especially considering we don't know exactly how those dues will be raised. Do they have some kind of algorithm in the contract they follow so you can project into the future?
Yeah, dues always continue to grow. I'm not aware of any limits on them. Riviera is one of our home resorts and it actually decreased slightly I think for 2022 or 2021, but that's definitely not normal. It seems that increases can be anywhere from a fraction of a percent up to 5%+. It just depends on the property. To me dues feel pretty small compared to the initial cost of the contracts, but it's true that they do add up over time. I just don't feel it as much because it's spread out over the years. Thank you for watching!
Love my DVC, just not enjoying the parks with the long lines. We purchased animal kingdom in 2008, when you walk into jambo house it's amazing. Would not spend the cash to stay here so the contract is worth it. While on the Alaska cruise in 2019, my husband fell in love with Riviera, so now we have that also. Just learned how to sell points so that is really good to not lose points. That was my fear having 2 contracts.
I agree that the parks can be exhausting sometimes. We tend to spend more time at the DVC resorts rather than spending tons of time in the parks, compared to before we were DVC members. We LOVE Riviera, too! Thanks for watching!
What a wonderful story When you got emotional it gave me goosebumps and now I am even more certain that I want to become a dvc member for my wife and my 2 princesses Question for you, if you have multiple contracts can you combine these points ? Thx for your content It's so informative!
Thank you so much for that feedback. We really enjoy our membership! Yes, if you have multiple contracts, you can combine them to book reservations. All contracts can be combined at the 7 month mark for bookings, and if you have 2 contracts at the same home resort, they can be combined for booking at the 11 month window. The key is that they all must be on the same UY to make this quick and easy. If you had 2 contracts on different use years, you would need to transfer points to make a reservation. That's why I always recommend keeping your contracts on the same use year.
I purchased my points at DVC (there was only DVC back then) --- it was 1994. I was a single mom. I wanted to insure that I would be able to take my son on vacation where I felt safe. I met my husband 6 years later and invited him to go with me on a trip to WDW about a year after we started dating. He had never been to WDW and was not inclined to go to "tourist attractions." He said that he was willing to try it. He turned out to be as big a WDW fan as I am. The thing that I love about DVC is how flexible the point system is. It worked great for taking our whole blended family with my brother and sister and their spouses and booking 2 2 bedrooms to fit everyone. It works great for just my husband and I. Now we are taking our grandchildren. I suspect we will own our DVC points until either we or our points expire.
We just arrived home from our FIRST Disney family vacation. We stayed in a 1- bedroom villa at the Riviera Resort and it was AMAZING 🤩. We want to purchase into the DVC. I am concerned about the "fine print" and the stigma of timeshares. We typically stay in 1-2 bedroom suites, not standard hotel rooms with just 2 beds & a bathroom. So, it seems to make financial sense for us. It could *potentially* save us lots of money and force us to take vacation (I can tend to be a workaholic). We were shocked by how much we all LOVED the Disney magic experience and want to book our next vacation. Any feedback, suggests and advice are much appreciated!!! Thank you for your informative & engaging videos!!!
I'm so glad you had a great time. Riviera is one of our home resorts and we LOVE it there! That 1 bedroom especially is fantastic! We do not consider ourselves to be "timeshare people" but Disney was different for us. We ran the numbers and it just made sense. Like you, I tend to be a workaholic as well, and having DVC forces me to create time for vacations in our schedule. We have tons of videos on DVC and don't hesitate to ask if you have any additional questions. Best wishes!
Before buying, I wasn’t afraid. Now that I’m a DVC member, my biggest fear is that my contract will outlive me. I’m 60, my contract goes until 2065. I don’t think I’ll survive that long, I’d be 103!
Our biggest fear was not wanting to go to the Orlando parks after the kids grew up and before grandkids. Vero beach and Hilton Head would be nice but not enough. Voila! Disney built Aulani which was a blessing and we now go there regularly. The fee inflation was our second fear. DVC understatedly how much they go up. Our calculation is that the price of a similar room will always be roughly double the cost of your points Maintenance fee. Not precise. Overall, DVC members since 2001 and could not be happier.
Yes, we do! It's more than a year old, so both DVC prices AND moderate resort prices have increased since then, but the same basic principles apply. ua-cam.com/video/Vxz8J1076xE/v-deo.html
I paid off my WorldMark Timeshare over 25 years ago. When I combine my timeshare with RCI or Interval Exchange. I end up saving thousands of dollars on a DVC vacation in Disneyworld. I believe purchasing a WorldMark timeshare on the secondary market and than joining RCI or Interval Exchange. Will allow you to also save thousands of dollars in a DVC Vacation.
You make a good point. One thing for people to be wary or is that DVC recently switched from RCI to Interval for their timeshare network - sounds like you're already aware of that. Anyway, it probably made some people mad who had access to it via RCI, then it changed. I'd be curious to know which resorts you've been able to stay at using RCI (or now Interval). My understanding is that it would usually be Saratoga Springs and maybe Old Key West. I'd love to hear how your experience has been with that. Thanks for watching!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic That is the main reason why I just recently got back from Disneyworld. I wanted to use up all my credits (Points) with RCI. I will apply for the Interval membership next year. I have no problem getting a 1 bedroom at SSR or OKW. I had to be on a 2 year waitlist. To get the 2 bedroom at the Kidani Animal Kingdom Lodge.
I am concerned that even though we have a good amount of points now, that one day they're going to just going to arbitrarily raise the points per night so high that it will feel like we don't. I know that might be an unfounded worry, but that is something I think about whenever the points charts come out for the current year.
Yes, you can! There are just a couple of restrictions around that... any new resale contract that closed after January 19th, 2019 (so any resale purchases moving forward), these points cannot be used at Riviera or future DVC properties, but they CAN be used at all the other current locations. If you buy a Riviera resale contract specifically, those points can ONLY be used at Riviera. No other locations. So yes, you can purchase resale at any current resort (except Riviera) and pool those points together at the 7 month window to book anything that's still available. You can also use those points at their home resorts at the 11 month window.
I’ve been thinking about buying dvc but having my son be a co-owner as I’m 69. Both our finances are great and he lives in Orlando. What have you heard about dual owners.
Yes, my understanding is that you ARE able to do that. I have friends who purchased DVC with another family and they all became direct "blue card" members together.
If you were starting over today, would you buy direct or resale? Do you think today’s perks are worth it? I know it can change at any time but I know post pandemic a lot of owners complain about losing the previous benefits. I have heard the special events are hard to get into and there isn’t much notice as to when they will happen. It’s more coincidence that a DVC member will be on property and a special event occurs. We are non Florida residents.
We have a mix of direct and resale and we have NO regrets about buying both. Our different contracts have different advantages. I think our only regret about our contracts is that we wish we had bought our last resale contract BEFORE the resale restrictions took effect in January of 2019. Those restrictions prevent resale contracts from being used at Riviera and all new resorts moving forward - that is limitation that we don't particularly like because we love to stay at Riviera. Other than that, we wouldn't change anything about our purchases.
The biggest fear I had was actually getting value out of the cost. While the value anyone gets will be different person to person. But as far as timeshares go DVC isn’t as bad as most. I’m not sure the value buying direct is as good as it once was but if you can make the sacrifices needed to buy resale the value may be better.
Yes, you're right. Resale can be a better deal for many people, but it does have some drawbacks - mainly the time that it takes to buy resale and the restrictions. I too was worried about getting value out of our DVC purchase, but it's been great for us. The only regret that we have is that we didn't buy in earlier.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic with dvc yesterday was the best time to buy in. I wish I’d have learned more about dvc years ago. I also wished I’d have went to Disney world sooner then I did because one thing to consider with dvc and it’s resorts are that you don’t have to go to the parks. The resorts have a lot to offer to have a good time and relax. While I agree that there are drawbacks to resale buying direct could be a dealbreaker for a portion of people especially given they have raised the minimum buy in and minimum for full membership. I think there are a lot of people that could afford a resale but not direct. But that’s just an opinion. I think no matter which way you go it’s a good deal but people should do their homework and decide what will work best for them that they can afford. I’d also recommend buying multiple smaller contracts so that if and when your situation does change you can sell off some points. You give a lot of good information in your videos. There is information you’ve provided that other videos I’ve watched haven’t or don’t.
Disney is slowly killing the Walt Disneyworld park. Cutting back on services, food and entertainment while raising prices. I can understand why Bob would want to control crowds by raising prices, but he and the Disney board have also decided to cut back on staffing, maintenance and food. These parks used to be so nice (not always the people) and now they decline.
That's a totally valid fear, too! The good thing is that if you buy resale, you don't need to worry about that stuff anyway. That way you would save a lot of money and not have to stress about losing perks that only the direct "blue card" members have. It also makes sense that there would be a lot of DVC contracts available on the resale market because with each year, the total number of DVC contracts grows. As the number of members and contracts grows, there will continue to be more on the resale market... until 2042, that is! Thanks for watching.
Even though I think I would like owning DVC the dues are way too high in my opinion. The dues seem to be the most expensive part of it but most people focus on the contract price. 45 years of dues will add up!
That's a valid concern for sure. In the years we've owned, we haven't experienced any large increases, but that could certainly happen in time. Thank you for watching.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Thank you so much! We watched quite a few of your videos during our research time before buying. 🤩 We now have quite a few contracts (Aulani and Riviera) including a couple guaranteed weeks. Best year ever traveling with family! 😍
Banks are failing and companies are laying off thousands. Including Disney. I am the one that does not worry. My wife wants to wait and see. I am happy with my WorldMark Timeshare. We have saved thousands of dollars. We will have our over priced Silicon Valley house paid off in about 5 years. I am retired and my wife will retire in about 3 years. We should be making 6 figures in our retirement. With our Pensions, Social Security and IRA’s. The price for a DVC is crashing. Due to our horrible economy. You get what you vote for. Under the previous President Administration. Our Economy was booming. I believe this is just the beginning for the crash. Just be patient.
Aww, thank you so much for sharing that amazing story of your first DVC stay! I’m currently looking at getting a DVC contract, but my wife and I JUST got married(at Disney!), so we have a couple other things to buy financially before we start looking at getting a contract. My biggest fear is that Disney will start reducing more and more of the benefits that members get over time in order to increase profit margins.
My biggest fear was putting out all the money and finding out too late that there was some fine print I wasn't understanding. Your videos alleviated ALL those fears. The education you provide is amazing and made it possible to make a huge decision with confidence. We are so pleased with our decision to purchase a BWV resale contract and have NO regrets.
I'm so glad to help! Boardwalk is a great home resort! 😃
First I teared up listening to you describe your first trip and then you got me again when you teared up. Ugh! You are right. So much joy!! Tremendous value!!
I'm not crying! YOU'RE CRYING! 😭😆
Coming back with a very exciting update! We happened to be at the Grand Floridian today (we’re locals) and we ended up going home with a really sweet new backpack 😉🎉 Thank you so much for putting this video out there! Hearing your story and seeing everyone else talk through their fears really helped us get over that last hurdle.
Wow! Congratulations! 🎉🍾 welcome home! 👏
Thank you so much for this video. You have really hit right place, right time for me. We are going to Disney next week and made plans to buy at the Riviera. Last few days I've been getting cold feet a bit but watching your video reaffirmed why we are purchasing DVC for our family. I've run the numbers so many times my wife is tired of excel sheets lol.
Biggest fear is just the finances but I know we can make it work. Thank you again for the continued great content!
Oh, I'm so glad that the timing was right for you. It was hard for me when we first bought in because I didn't really know other DVC members because there aren't very many where we live. I didn't have much opportunity to talk with anyone else who owned, so it was tough to feel more comfortable about the purchase or get an idea of who the members were. I'm excited for you to buy your Riviera contract! We never bought in person, our direct contracts were bought over the phone, so I'm envious that you get to go in person! Have a great trip!
Some excellent points raised here that resonate strongly. Great work!
Thank you so much for watching! 😎
Your content is great.
I appreciate your pace and tone.
Really helping us make our decision.
The moment at the fireplace…. We have been there on a Disney Cruise recently.
Great work and thank you
Thanks so much for your feedback. I’m so glad that you’ve found our channel to be helpful. Best wishes!
I love your videos! I loved hearing about your first dvc stay. I am even more excited about my first stay now at our home resort which is AKL too! You are a girl after my own heart. I am sure many happy tears will be shed. Lol! I will definitely add on in the future after (I hope) my husband becomes an addict. Thanks!
Oh, there's definitely hope for turning your husband into a Disney nut! My husband liked the idea of Disney but only had one family vacation there as a kid. Once I took him to Disney World (the park that I visited one weekend a month each summer as a kid), he caught the bug! I hope you have a wonderful "welcome home" stay!
I just found your channel and have watched a few videos the last few days. You do a great job explaining DVC. This video in particular was great. You had me tearing up with you. I'm not a DVC member but I hope one day to be. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks so much for the feedback and thank you for watching. Best wishes on your DVC journey. ❤️
I could listen to you talk about DVC all day long. Thanks for sharing your story.
You’re so kind. Thank you for watching! 😃
What a wonderful story you shared! I am simultaneously the worrier AND the person who wants DVC in our family. My partner doesn't have an emotional attachment with Disney yet because he's never been. Hoping to change that this summer! Thanks so much for this wonderful video!
Oh! Best of luck converting your partner to the "Disney parks lifestyle" this summer! Thank you for watching. 👋
Loved the video and thank you for sharing your story. Would appreciate a video on options for buying food to cook in your DVC room. Thanks :)
That's a great idea! I'll be sure to add that to my notes for future video ideas. Thanks! 👍😎
Do you have any DVC fears? Tell us about your present or past DVC fears. Check out more DVC videos here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1oGx7aOVSWonZw9QaL-JIFJt3BF6Voc0.html
Honestly now a days I think my biggest fear is that maybe one day we will start to think we are more interested in universal?!?! Hehe 😜 although we have not been there in some time!
Hi! Lovely video. I appreciate all of the DVC educational content you and Randall do. We were fearful that our preferred vacation weeks would not be readily available at the 11-mo window at our home resort. However, the new GF studios seems to have relieved some of the tightness in the reservation system. We were able to book our next two stays - the first we waitlisted and got it secured within a week! Yay!
Yes, I think the additional 200+ resort studios will help a lot with availability at Grand Floridian. I assume that's your home resort. Is that right?
@@TheMagicInTheMusic hi, Jenn, you are correct. We have Grand Floridian as our home resort. I, too, am our family's resident worrier - so we decided to go with a small, direct contract for our first venture into an (insert gasp!) time-share! AND I am also the one who pushed for DVC because it fits our vacation needs and fills an emotional need for me to know our family is set for vacationing together in a place where we already have lovely memories.
Thank you Dr. Jenn! 👩⚕️ I am ready for my DVC Therapy session! 😇 I own 2 Non-DVC timeshares, one of which is located right on WDW property! 😜 So, I must go to therapy! Indeed, do not finance the contracts! I love your videos and analysis! 🤔🥳💙💜❤️🎉
Awww! You’re so sweet! Thank you for supporting our small, handmade, “atisanal” DVC channel! 😉 I was surprised that I got as emotional as I did in this video but I’m all about authenticity, so you all get to watch me get teary-eyed! Thanks for watching today! 👋
Our biggest fear by far is studio availability. We ran the numbers front to back (plus binged all your videos 😉) and decided DVC was the perfect fit for our family. Got as far as contract signing at the beginning of this month and unfortunately had to back out. We felt terrible since our guide was so great, but when we logged in to our new account we realized there was *nothing* before our 2022 use year would be up (feb). We totally recognize that the 7 month window was over the busiest times of the year, but we were really panicked about committing and it potentially not improving. Our plan now is to keep an eye on availability after the holiday time and hopefully get back under a contract in a month or so 🤞
That was one of my fears too which is a big part of the reason we just bought at the grand Floridian - all of the new rooms are studios. They’re not the cheapest option, but the location is excellent and even the lake view studios are less than the cheapest one bedroom at any other resort. I also figured that we can try to switch elsewhere at 7 months and because most other resorts are cheaper we could try out anything else that happened to have availability that week and bank the extra points.
@@sheilaa1333 Congratulations and welcome home! All very good points. Hopefully we’ll join you at GF soon 🤗
Fear is that points will go up. Again. Our birthdays and anniversary are in the Fall... and technically they can mandate mutiple days stays. Even a week.
And you are right about 2042.
Yeah, it's all fun and games until 2042 rolls around! Thanks for watching! 👋
DVC is very difficult to utilize if you do not plan way in advance. The demand for DVC bookings is crushing year round, and very unforgiving if you have to re-arrange dates. You will be on the app scouring for any cancelations or patching together a stay at different properties if you can't get your stay at one resort due to availability issues. DVC is best for people who can plan 7 months to a year in advance. 7 months is even cutting it close trying to get a decent reservation. The Deluxe properties are wonderful, and the experience of being on property unrivaled.
You're absolutely right. It's very difficult for last minute planning or those who need to make changes. On the other hand, we've found that Disney World cash stays can be equally limiting. A friend of mine tends to stay at moderate resorts and on multiple trips she's had to take her 2nd or 3rd choice resort because of lack of availability of reservations for her stay - even 6+ months in advance. So, I think the advance planning can be an issue for Disney World as a whole, not just with DVC. Thank you so much for watching!
We closed on our first contract earlier this year. Fortunately it was a fully loaded contract so we had some 2021 points to burn. While we have a long trip booked in a few weeks, my son and I were able to escape life in Colorado a few weeks ago while mom was on a business trip for four nights at Kidani Village. I remember telling him “don’t worry if you don’t get to ride every ride. We’re relaxing on this trip. We’ll be back in a few months and then again in the fall. And the spring and on and on.” That made the four night last minute getaway so much fun.
A word on last minute though. It was pure luck that we got the room. This one bedroom unit was the only available room at any DVC property for then five days that we had. Don’t count on last minute trips. They are a rare treat.
I totally agree about last minute trips. For DVC, I consider "last minute" to mean less then about 5 months. We took a "last minute" trip once when we booked in April for a July trip. We were able to pull together a 5 night stay in a standard view studio at Saratoga Springs. Anything most "last minute" than that, and I think we would have been out of luck. Thanks so much for watching!
This was booked about a week before the trip. I lucked up on airfare too and found a really cheap direct flight (really hard to do right now). It all worked out so well and was a nice father/son getaway.
I’ve been considering purchasing since I go with my niece and her children at least once a year now if not twice. Been doing lots of research and watching your video helped. My decision is which home resort and UY..lol, since we vacation around my niece’s children school vacation days. My husband is not a big Disney fan but he loves that I have my niece to travel with and he is ok with purchasing a DVC since we are traveling more. We stayed at AK (with renting points) and I, like you, was like WOW and fell in love. We would like to try more DVC’s before making the final decision. Many thanks!
You should definitely visit some of the other resorts. It gives you a great excuse to dine at the various DVC resorts or get a drink at each one! I think AKV is a great choice, especially if you're planning on purchasing a resale contract, because it's got many years left on the contracts, but they aren't as expensive as some other resorts. I'm so glad you've found the video helpful. We have many more about purchasing DVC here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1oGx7aOVSWpzi-Jf38ixUFmhzM03xuu-.html Best wishes!
Great video! I know we can afford it and I know we would love the Deluxe resorts. We live a couple of hours from Orlando and we have stayed on property 9 nights in the last year in moderate and deluxe resorts in 1 to 2 day stays. DVC would probably make more sense than paying cash for our stays. However, our jobs don't allow for 11 month or even 7 month planning so we're sadly afraid DVC isn't for us. My mother used to own DVC and I have great memories associated with it and would love it for us but we're definitely afraid to purchase.
Yeah, the fact that you’re not able to plan as far in advance is kind of a deal-breaker for DVC. At least it sounds like you have access to Florida resident discounts and other things that make it easier to have fantastic stays at DW. Thanks so much for watching!
Another great video. As a Canadian the cost of the on going maintenance fees is a real concern because of the exchange rate.
Yeah, that makes sense. Another great option is renting DVC points. It allows you to get many of the benefits of DVC ownership, without the commitment.
When you got emotional, I got emotional!!! lol... I have bought two resale contracts this year, but we will be using our DVC points for the first time next year!!! I think then it will feel real. It was maybe a harder decision for us, as we're in the UK. But we wanted a way to keep coming back and stay on site and return to resorts like AKL and the Poly!
Congrats on your new contracts! I'm sure you'll have an amazing trip! I know it's been so difficult for my friends in the UK to not be able to travel for such a long time. I'm so thrilled that you're able to travel once again. Thank you for watching.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Thank you!!! .... So disappointed by the new bay lake tower lounge news. Really hoping there has been some mistake and they all it for all members again!!
This heart wants what the heart wants. We just put in an offer for AKL resale. I’m am excited and nervously waiting on ROFR.
Oh! Congratulations! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! I agree that the heart wants what the heart wants... and THIS heart wanted a couple of AKV contracts! I think you made a great choice! Be sure to let me know if you pass ROFR. Best wishes!
Love your videos
Thanks so much! 😄
We've considered DVC many times - I've run the numbers probably 100 times - and there's just no situation where it's worth it for us. We love Disney, but Disney vacations aren't the only place we vacation, or even the most common place we vacation. I know we can bank or sell points during non-Disney years, but that's more work than I am interested to put in, so on a Mexico or Hawai'i or Europe or whatever vacation year I don't want to stress about our unused points. Beyond that, once the cost of financing at least part of a contract, plus dues and fees are accounted for, that annual investment into DVC would be much greater than we spend when I plan ahead and book trips early, so we'd be locking ourselves into a price point that is higher than we really want to commit to for Disney trips.
DVC looks super cool, and admittedly being a DVC member are the Grand Californian or the new Disneyland Hotel wing would be an absolute dream, but for our vacation habits and finances it just - sadly - doesn't make sense for us.
It's really good that you're realistic about what your vacation needs are. Some people get caught up in the moment when they're on a vacation and end up making a huge DVC impulse-buy. It's good that you've thought it through and know what works best for you. Thanks so much for watching! 👋
Thank you for this. I have some of these fears but my family loves WDW so I am buying 150 pts at Grand Floridian in 2 weeks. Really looking forward to spending a couple of nights at as many resorts as possible over the next 10 years. For an extra 4K I can get an extra 25 pts. I may do that.
Congrats! If you love DW, visit on a regular basis, staying on property, and you can plan 7-11 months in advance, with the cash on hand to make the purchase, it makes sense.
Great video with valid points! I can recognize that financing DVC definitely adds to the cost but IF history continues the price will grow more than the cost of financing over the next ten years or at least that’s what it has done in the past. Even with financing a resale contract will save you money over every hotel except the all stars. Just some thought because I’ve ran those numbers as well.
You make a good point. If you're someone who already pays for a deluxe resort, it's definitely still a good value. We generally stayed in moderate resorts before purchasing DVC, so for us it was a matter of staying at deluxe resorts for a similar cost to the moderates. Thanks so much for watching!
Amazing😀👍🏼
Thanks for watching!
Hi Jenn! Thank you for all the wonderful content! We were finally able to go this past spring break after postponing for over a year and it was amazing! I was so happy to share my love of Disney with my family. I'm not as worried about the initial cost of owning- I can save for that. But, I am worried about the implication of compounding dues for potentially 4 decades! Especially considering we don't know exactly how those dues will be raised. Do they have some kind of algorithm in the contract they follow so you can project into the future?
Yeah, dues always continue to grow. I'm not aware of any limits on them. Riviera is one of our home resorts and it actually decreased slightly I think for 2022 or 2021, but that's definitely not normal. It seems that increases can be anywhere from a fraction of a percent up to 5%+. It just depends on the property. To me dues feel pretty small compared to the initial cost of the contracts, but it's true that they do add up over time. I just don't feel it as much because it's spread out over the years. Thank you for watching!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic thank you!
Love my DVC, just not enjoying the parks with the long lines. We purchased animal kingdom in 2008, when you walk into jambo house it's amazing. Would not spend the cash to stay here so the contract is worth it. While on the Alaska cruise in 2019, my husband fell in love with Riviera, so now we have that also. Just learned how to sell points so that is really good to not lose points. That was my fear having 2 contracts.
I agree that the parks can be exhausting sometimes. We tend to spend more time at the DVC resorts rather than spending tons of time in the parks, compared to before we were DVC members. We LOVE Riviera, too! Thanks for watching!
What a wonderful story
When you got emotional it gave me goosebumps and now I am even more certain that I want to become a dvc member for my wife and my 2 princesses
Question for you, if you have multiple contracts can you combine these points ?
Thx for your content
It's so informative!
Thank you so much for that feedback. We really enjoy our membership! Yes, if you have multiple contracts, you can combine them to book reservations. All contracts can be combined at the 7 month mark for bookings, and if you have 2 contracts at the same home resort, they can be combined for booking at the 11 month window. The key is that they all must be on the same UY to make this quick and easy. If you had 2 contracts on different use years, you would need to transfer points to make a reservation. That's why I always recommend keeping your contracts on the same use year.
I would be 99 years old (same with DW itself!) when Riviera expires! 😬 😂
Well, hopefully you could still be visiting! 😎
I purchased my points at DVC (there was only DVC back then) --- it was 1994. I was a single mom. I wanted to insure that I would be able to take my son on vacation where I felt safe. I met my husband 6 years later and invited him to go with me on a trip to WDW about a year after we started dating. He had never been to WDW and was not inclined to go to "tourist attractions." He said that he was willing to try it. He turned out to be as big a WDW fan as I am. The thing that I love about DVC is how flexible the point system is. It worked great for taking our whole blended family with my brother and sister and their spouses and booking 2 2 bedrooms to fit everyone. It works great for just my husband and I. Now we are taking our grandchildren. I suspect we will own our DVC points until either we or our points expire.
Wow! What a wonderful story! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Best wishes! ❤
We just arrived home from our FIRST Disney family vacation. We stayed in a 1- bedroom villa at the Riviera Resort and it was AMAZING 🤩. We want to purchase into the DVC. I am concerned about the "fine print" and the stigma of timeshares. We typically stay in 1-2 bedroom suites, not standard hotel rooms with just 2 beds & a bathroom. So, it seems to make financial sense for us. It could *potentially* save us lots of money and force us to take vacation (I can tend to be a workaholic). We were shocked by how much we all LOVED the Disney magic experience and want to book our next vacation. Any feedback, suggests and advice are much appreciated!!! Thank you for your informative & engaging videos!!!
I'm so glad you had a great time. Riviera is one of our home resorts and we LOVE it there! That 1 bedroom especially is fantastic! We do not consider ourselves to be "timeshare people" but Disney was different for us. We ran the numbers and it just made sense. Like you, I tend to be a workaholic as well, and having DVC forces me to create time for vacations in our schedule. We have tons of videos on DVC and don't hesitate to ask if you have any additional questions. Best wishes!
Before buying, I wasn’t afraid. Now that I’m a DVC member, my biggest fear is that my contract will outlive me. I’m 60, my contract goes until 2065. I don’t think I’ll survive that long, I’d be 103!
Oh wow! At least you don't have to worry about what happens at the end of your contract. 👍
Our biggest fear was not wanting to go to the Orlando parks after the kids grew up and before grandkids. Vero beach and Hilton Head would be nice but not enough. Voila! Disney built Aulani which was a blessing and we now go there regularly. The fee inflation was our second fear. DVC understatedly how much they go up. Our calculation is that the price of a similar room will always be roughly double the cost of your points Maintenance fee. Not precise.
Overall, DVC members since 2001 and could not be happier.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Your perspective on membership over a longer time period provides really helpful insight! 👍
Do you have a video comparing staying at a moderate vs buying DVC cost?
Yes, we do! It's more than a year old, so both DVC prices AND moderate resort prices have increased since then, but the same basic principles apply. ua-cam.com/video/Vxz8J1076xE/v-deo.html
I paid off my WorldMark Timeshare over 25 years ago. When I combine my timeshare with RCI or Interval Exchange. I end up saving thousands of dollars on a DVC vacation in Disneyworld. I believe purchasing a WorldMark timeshare on the secondary market and than joining RCI or Interval Exchange. Will allow you to also save thousands of dollars in a DVC Vacation.
You make a good point. One thing for people to be wary or is that DVC recently switched from RCI to Interval for their timeshare network - sounds like you're already aware of that. Anyway, it probably made some people mad who had access to it via RCI, then it changed. I'd be curious to know which resorts you've been able to stay at using RCI (or now Interval). My understanding is that it would usually be Saratoga Springs and maybe Old Key West. I'd love to hear how your experience has been with that. Thanks for watching!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic That is the main reason why I just recently got back from Disneyworld. I wanted to use up all my credits (Points) with RCI. I will apply for the Interval membership next year. I have no problem getting a 1 bedroom at SSR or OKW. I had to be on a 2 year waitlist. To get the 2 bedroom at the Kidani Animal Kingdom Lodge.
I am concerned that even though we have a good amount of points now, that one day they're going to just going to arbitrarily raise the points per night so high that it will feel like we don't. I know that might be an unfounded worry, but that is something I think about whenever the points charts come out for the current year.
Well, the total points can’t change at each resort, but they could get shuffled around. I think you’ll probably be fine.
If I buy small point contracts via resale at different resorts, can I pool them for booking 7 months out?
Yes, you can! There are just a couple of restrictions around that... any new resale contract that closed after January 19th, 2019 (so any resale purchases moving forward), these points cannot be used at Riviera or future DVC properties, but they CAN be used at all the other current locations. If you buy a Riviera resale contract specifically, those points can ONLY be used at Riviera. No other locations. So yes, you can purchase resale at any current resort (except Riviera) and pool those points together at the 7 month window to book anything that's still available. You can also use those points at their home resorts at the 11 month window.
I’ve been thinking about buying dvc but having my son be a co-owner as I’m 69. Both our finances are great and he lives in Orlando. What have you heard about dual owners.
Yes, my understanding is that you ARE able to do that. I have friends who purchased DVC with another family and they all became direct "blue card" members together.
If you were starting over today, would you buy direct or resale? Do you think today’s perks are worth it? I know it can change at any time but I know post pandemic a lot of owners complain about losing the previous benefits. I have heard the special events are hard to get into and there isn’t much notice as to when they will happen. It’s more coincidence that a DVC member will be on property and a special event occurs. We are non Florida residents.
We have a mix of direct and resale and we have NO regrets about buying both. Our different contracts have different advantages. I think our only regret about our contracts is that we wish we had bought our last resale contract BEFORE the resale restrictions took effect in January of 2019. Those restrictions prevent resale contracts from being used at Riviera and all new resorts moving forward - that is limitation that we don't particularly like because we love to stay at Riviera. Other than that, we wouldn't change anything about our purchases.
The biggest fear I had was actually getting value out of the cost. While the value anyone gets will be different person to person. But as far as timeshares go DVC isn’t as bad as most. I’m not sure the value buying direct is as good as it once was but if you can make the sacrifices needed to buy resale the value may be better.
Yes, you're right. Resale can be a better deal for many people, but it does have some drawbacks - mainly the time that it takes to buy resale and the restrictions. I too was worried about getting value out of our DVC purchase, but it's been great for us. The only regret that we have is that we didn't buy in earlier.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic with dvc yesterday was the best time to buy in. I wish I’d have learned more about dvc years ago. I also wished I’d have went to Disney world sooner then I did because one thing to consider with dvc and it’s resorts are that you don’t have to go to the parks. The resorts have a lot to offer to have a good time and relax.
While I agree that there are drawbacks to resale buying direct could be a dealbreaker for a portion of people especially given they have raised the minimum buy in and minimum for full membership. I think there are a lot of people that could afford a resale but not direct. But that’s just an opinion. I think no matter which way you go it’s a good deal but people should do their homework and decide what will work best for them that they can afford. I’d also recommend buying multiple smaller contracts so that if and when your situation does change you can sell off some points.
You give a lot of good information in your videos. There is information you’ve provided that other videos I’ve watched haven’t or don’t.
Disney is slowly killing the Walt Disneyworld park. Cutting back on services, food and entertainment while raising prices. I can understand why Bob would want to control crowds by raising prices, but he and the Disney board have also decided to cut back on staffing, maintenance and food. These parks used to be so nice (not always the people) and now they decline.
I've definitely heard that critique lately. Thanks for watching.
purchase 1999 big fear is kids 6 and 8 then would out grow disney...23 years later kids go with and without us. at 10 contract.
Wow! What a great story! I really hope that our kids are still going with us 23 years from now! 😮 Best wishes! 👋😎
My biggest fears are taking away of any benefits. I see so many dvc for sale.
That's a totally valid fear, too! The good thing is that if you buy resale, you don't need to worry about that stuff anyway. That way you would save a lot of money and not have to stress about losing perks that only the direct "blue card" members have. It also makes sense that there would be a lot of DVC contracts available on the resale market because with each year, the total number of DVC contracts grows. As the number of members and contracts grows, there will continue to be more on the resale market... until 2042, that is! Thanks for watching.
Feared that I wouldn’t see enough value for the price.
That's a good one. I'm sure many of us have felt that way. Are you an owner now? Did your fear come to fruition or are you happy?
Even though I think I would like owning DVC the dues are way too high in my opinion. The dues seem to be the most expensive part of it but most people focus on the contract price. 45 years of dues will add up!
That's true. It does add up, but it's much easier to pay because it's spread out over time. Thanks for watching!
Worries on increasing dues .
That's a valid concern for sure. In the years we've owned, we haven't experienced any large increases, but that could certainly happen in time. Thank you for watching.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Thank you so much! We watched quite a few of your videos during our research time before buying. 🤩 We now have quite a few contracts (Aulani and Riviera) including a couple guaranteed weeks. Best year ever traveling with family! 😍
$36,000 on the DVC calculator sheesh!!
How many points was that for?
@@TheMagicInTheMusic 175
Banks are failing and companies are laying off thousands. Including Disney. I am the one that does not worry. My wife wants to wait and see. I am happy with my WorldMark Timeshare. We have saved thousands of dollars. We will have our over priced Silicon Valley house paid off in about 5 years. I am retired and my wife will retire in about 3 years. We should be making 6 figures in our retirement. With our Pensions, Social Security and IRA’s. The price for a DVC is crashing. Due to our horrible economy. You get what you vote for. Under the previous President Administration. Our Economy was booming. I believe this is just the beginning for the crash. Just be patient.
Yeah, my biggest fear is my bank account. 😬
I think that's the top of the list for most of us. 👍