I like the idea of a dedicated place where I can do laundry if I need to, where I can bring the kids (and in future, grandkids if we're so blessed), where I can enjoy Disney and perhaps try a visit to WDW in the future.
So you’re looking at 1BR plus accommodations to be able to do laundry in your unit. Just be aware that across the board, the point cost of a 1BR is roughly 2X the cost of a studio. Looking at your past hotel experiences, you’ll be upgrading your stay, but you certainly won’t be saving money over what you’re doing now.
I think I would like a place to stay for my annual trips that helps me, rather than helps a hotel owner. It's like, instead of renting a house, my money now goes to the mortgage in my name.
Buying a timeshare, you are ALWAYS helping the “owner”, in this case developer. There is no way around that. The question is, whether or not this benefits you enough to make it worth it.
You are exploring buying a timeshare which will carry with it certain drawbacks and advantages. Most important to mention is that it will not be a replacement of your hotel experience. You will get diminished services. You will often see more compromised standards vs. the hotel side equivalent. At WDW you will sometimes be more geographically removed from the hotel-side amenities in your timeshare. You will lose flexibility with planning; committing at least 7 months out to being somewhere, inability to cancel on short notice, “obligation” to use your points at Disney year after year after year regardless of your employment status, health situation, or collapse of global economic superpowers that start with C and end with A. Whatever happens in the world, you’re on the hook for dues to the Mouse. All that will be in exchange for the advantage of a cost savings on a per night basis... oh and all the [insert magical emotional feels you’ll get for yourself/family here].
Some see the timeshare-forced vacation not unlike how homeowners see a mortgage as forced savings: without the former, doing the latter would be more challenging.
But that’s where the similarities with renting vs. owning ends. While it’s true that buying a Disney timeshare is buying a deeded interest in a piece of property, it’s more akin to a lease, in that it’s a depreciating asset that will eventually go to zero with noting but your use of the product to show for it. Could you at some point sell it? History says, “Probably.” But like any other lease, buy to use, not to sell.
The biggest difference for me between the
whole buying-a-Disney-timeshare/paying cash vs. the buying-a-house/renting analogy is that no matter what happens in life, you will have a roof over your head that you will have to pay for. Alongside paying for food, paying for housing is something you will need to do no matter what.
Paying to see a fake castle year over year for the next 22-50 years? Not so much.
People will often justify their Disney timeshare purchases saying “I’m going to go every year anyway.” And while for some fans that may be true, if most people look back 10 years prior to buying a Disney timeshare, their pattern of visiting Disney likely won’t match their first 10 years of timeshare ownership.
The product fundamentally changes how often you visit Disney and the ways you do it (e.g., bringing friends/family). Don’t buy for some calculated savings you’ll realize from no longer staying on cash. Buy because that’s a change you want to see and are willing to pay more for.
