Thoughts on Disney Vacation Club?

I don't see how it could possibly be worth it.

Considered it in the past. Just didn't make financial sense.

Trashy

seems like the best deal is to rent DVC points from DVC members.

All Vacation Clubs are bad. Never join a Vacation club

MIL did it, but everyone in the family uses it and pays for it. Makes it easy.

Also, her sister lives in Orlando and works at Disney so they use it to visit her a lot.

The only way it used to make financial sense was to buy resale. But they've taken away so many perks for resale contracts, that it doesn't really work in any sense.

From a practical standpoint, you buy in if you want priority at a specific hotel. You buy in if you want the condo experience. You buy in if you have upfront cash. You buy in with the understanding that it isn't an investment. You buy in if your habits already have you going to Disney once every couple years.

I have 150 points at Saratoga that I got for $57 per. They're worth 80-85 now. I have Bay Lake Tower points I bought for $120 per worth $130 now. Both contracts were done before they changed the rules so I have access to the discounts. So if I had to sell, I could easily make my money back (the upfront cost). Also, I could rent them out and easily cover my dues as well as have plenty of extra money to spend elsewhere. That's probably one the best incentives. DVC is the only timeshare worth anything that you can get out of easily.

And going to Disney this way does not keep us from going elsewhere (this year excluded due to the flood). We've been to Europe multiple times, Maine, Napa, Oregon, Hawaiii (and stayed at the DVC resort there which is gorgeous), etc. The thought that DVC locks you into Disney vacations is ignorant.

But again, I wouldn't buy today. I would probably stick to renting. Direct from disney is very expensive and the contracts are starting to get too short for most home resorts to make financial sense.

I stayed in one recently with family. The resort was nice, but a week with small children and no house keeping kind of sucks.

Pros: You can save a good bit over the years if you tend to stay at deluxe hotels. Points can be used on some other timeshares around the world.

Cons: You need to buy enough points to do what you want. You also get a terrible value during busier times. It's more of a condo than a hotel. Financing through Disney is steep.

Bring a lot of money with you.

On our first trip as a family I was introduced to DVC and walked away thinking this is a waste of money. Six years later and three more trips, all in deluxe resorts, I finally pulled the trigger and bought in....at resale.

The resale "lack of perks" vs direct really would not affect us much and when comparing the prices one can definitely live without the "perks". You can always add on 50 points direct if one wants to have those other perks.

I compared the price point of buying resale vs the cost of renting points and 30% off deals (the highest I have ever received from Disney) and buying into DVC made the most sense. We purchased enough points for a 1 bedroom villa at Beach Club for 1 full week every 18 months. If for some reason we decide not to go one year, we can always rent the points out or give the away as a gift to family and resale is always an option although prices may soon drop as the contract gets closer to expiration.

By the way, to the Disney hater, I have a 5 & 6 year old and they have been to multiple states along with visits to Scotland, England, Ireland, Australia, and Canada. Up next, Italy and Greece.

If you're like my friend who married into a family that are Disney cult members and take 4-5 trips per year down there, then it probably makes sense.