We are HOOKED! Questions about DVC

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2003
We are HOOKED! Questions about DVC
5
Tue, 06-27-2006 - 5:02pm

It's been almost 3 weeks since we were at Mickey's World, and we are SOOO ready to go back. It's all we can talk about to friends and family-I think we are boring them to death - LOL!
My Mom is afraid we will move down there the way we've gone on and on about it...
My DH is seriously thinking about DVC and I think it all sounds great and all, but there's this little questionable thought lingering in the back of my mind. We would like to go every year at this point. Our kids are 10, 5(almost 6), and 3(almost 4). Does it make sense to buy into Saratoga Springs, or should we look at resell w/another resort that is closer to the parks. Not that near Downtown Disney is far, but the thought of being able to walk to MGM and/or Epcot is very appealing. Especially considering the amount of time we spent on the buses a few weeks ago. (We stayed at POR and loved it) but would like to go Deluxe next time.

Also, has anyone had any experience with Marriott Timeshare? My brother and his wife just invested into the Marriott Horizons near Sea World and Universal. He of course is disappointed that we are looking at another timeshare, b/c there go his referral points! He of course points out to me that with Marriott, once you have paid in full (aside from yearly dues I think), you own it for life....With DVC, you have until 2042 or 2054 and then it's gone...

Any thoughts or advice is very much appreciated!
TIA,
Dina

    Dina    
Avatar for sphintergirl
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 06-27-2006 - 5:40pm

We own with Hilton. Our home resort is on International Drive about 10 minutes from Disney. We love it. Ours is own for life also unlike DVC. And I we have a bigger choice of out of Hilton timeshares(like I am sure Marriott does) than DVC. We can easily use our points for Hilton brand hotels anywhere instead of going the timeshare route.

With that being said, we were thinking about buying into DVC also. No we are not made of money, it is just an investment to us. There are a lot of great points with DVC like being on the grounds and EMH. Pretty much make a list of pros and cons and do your research on all.

Good luck deciding. We have owned our Hilton since 2003. We have enjoyed both the timeshare aspect and the hotels.

Sarah

Avatar for shelb31
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2006
Tue, 06-27-2006 - 5:51pm

Before I bought into Marriott, I would ask some questions. The major one being, what if I don't want to come my assigned week? How easy is it to exchange? The reason I ask is because we had the Marriott VISA for years. We have almost 500,000 points banked with them. However, we can't use them for any of the places that we want to go (Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, etc.) because there is never any availability. I know this is different from being an owner, but I still think it's a little ridiculous that we have all of these points but can't use them anyplace decent!

My parents bought into a timeshare with AmeriSuites back in 2002. I think they got an incredible deal - $16,000+ for a lifetime. They pay annual maintenance, and that is all. We have used it every year but 1 to go to Disney. If you don't use it, you deposit it with Interval International. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get when and how you deposit down right away, so we've had some rude awakenings with them. I believe that I've finally figured them out. That's why I'm trying to decide now when we're going in Feb. next year (so that I can exchange weeks now). The earlier you do so, the better chances you have. Also, there's some penalty about not depositing at least 60 days from "your week".

This probably sounds convoluted, but the whole timeshare deal is convoluted! HTH anyway!

M'Shel

P.S. I also looked into DVC. I love the idea, but can't justify spending the money now when I can go and stay for free with my parents place. The perks sound great, but right now, free outweighs those!

Disney 2010
Avatar for sphintergirl
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 06-27-2006 - 6:00pm

M'Shel had another point I should share...with our Hilton we have points that will get you a full week at a certain time of the year. BUT you don't have to use it that week you can go anytime as long as you have points to cover your stay. You can bank points for the next year to use any way you want and you can borrow from the next year. I know you can bank from DVC, not sure about borrowing.

Sarah

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-2006
Tue, 06-27-2006 - 6:40pm
WeJustGotBack.com, a new family travel web site that I read about in the New York Times, has several very informative articles about DVC, including two reviews of DVC properties at DisneyWorld and one outside DW in Vero Beach, FL. There's also an article about DVC membership specifics and how to determine if it makes sense for your family. Good stuff. Very thorough. Check it out.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2003
Tue, 06-27-2006 - 8:15pm
Thanks for all the replies!! Wow, I thought I was overwhelmed when I was planning our Disney trip! Looks like we have our work (research) cut out for us...
thanks again,
Dina
    Dina