Has DVC ruined any one else's vacations?

[tellingson]

First off, let me give you some history.

My wife and I are fairly frugal. When we were first married, we would find the cheapest hotel, order the cheaper items on menus etc. We would both laugh at how expensive some resorts were at Disneyland and Disney World. "Look at this dear. They want $500 bucks a night for a studio. Who pays this kind of money for a bed?" Long story short, we were gifted a 2 day vacation to Disney World in 2012. While there we learned about the Disney Vacation Club. When the person at the booth learned that we were staying in All-Stars Movies, they were noticeable less interested in talking to us but they pitched DVC as "listen to this presentation for free fastpasses". Free fastpasses to any ride? Done. We'll get an early presentation and get them in time to hit the parks in the morning. We meet up for the presentation and talk to the guide. We walk through the rooms... (AKV was selling at the time) and we both were like...Wow. These are really nice. Then they give us the pitch about points and the price and we were pretty close to signing, but wanted to take some time to think about it.

Enter the DIS Boards. Really invaluable resource here. Long story short, we ended up buying resale at SSR. And we have loved it! We have been able to stay at OKW, SSR, and VGC in the last 6 years. Later we added on another resale contract at VGC because we love the resort and it is a drive for us rather than a flight.

Enter family reunion... So my wife's family wanted to do a Disneyland trip for their first ever family reunion. Okay, cool. My wife and I both love Disney. They want everyone staying at the same hotel so we have a sense of togetherness. Awesome! It is a family reunion after all! My wife works with her mom to find a place close that seems decent. It is basically across the street from the gate. Cool! Looks like a great location!

The vacation arrives and we are excited! Disneyland! Fresh Sourdough (my favorite)! Star Wars Land! Halloween theme! We are super pumped! We have stayed at the VGC a couple times by this point.

We arrive at the hotel, get to the room and... huh. Is this it? ...What is that smell? How much did we pay for this? We were both super disappointed. Knowing that we could have stayed at the VGC instead for less money (but didn't because of family)... Being at the parks was almost depressing knowing what we would have to go back to. Staying off property was not something my wife and I enjoyed.

We noticed many things that we never would have thought of as reason to stay on Disney property. For example, as soon as you leave Disney property, you no longer have the rules and restrictions. There are no designated smoking areas. So as soon as people leave the property, they lite up. You are walking through cigarette smoke almost every time you leave the property to go to your hotel. With a toddler in tow, I was very not happy about it. The rooms that we stayed in had no magic. Zero, zilch, nada. They were substandard, overpriced and disappointing. The pool was a joke and cold. The room came with free breakfast though. So I guess that was nice. But the room and location caused us to go in and out of the magic for the entire vacation. It was hard to feel the full Disney experience when we were so dramatically pulled out of the magic during the middle of the day for naps, and at the end of every day when we went to sleep.

7 years ago, the room would have been great, and we would have been happy just to be there. But once you have tasted the DVC koolaid, you just can't go back.

My wife and I agreed that never again, would we stay off property. DVC has made it so that we can't vacation at Disney any other way. Thank you DVC for ruining my family reunion and helping me realize how much better it could have been.

 

[Sandisw]

It has certainly ruined my savings account!,

But I will never get tired of the DVC kool aid and 5e magic of being at Dis ey. I don’t even do the parks that much anymore but being on property just makes me happy!

Glad you found the magic And are suffering through the ruined vacations!.

 

[CarolynFH]

Yeah, we love being spoiled too! You may be staying in studios - we have to have laundry and a kitchen for the two of us!

 

[bluecruiser]

Agree with previous posters, my Disney vacation habits have been permanently changed. And although I usually travel solo, I bought into DVC with the idea of staying in a 1BR (and have done so every trip since I bought in 2008).

 

[keishashadow]

Enter the DIS Boards. Really invaluable resource here. Long story short, we ended up buying resale at SSR. And we have loved it! We have been able to stay at OKW, SSR, and VGC in the last 6 years. Later we added on another resale contract at VGC because we love the resort and it is a drive for us rather than a flight.

Without that VGC add-on, you’d likely find it difficult to secure a DVC unit around Halloween (at least a studio). Have had some luck other dates, even that first week in Oct, random weeks in the summer & Jan & Feb. but nothing last few years. Not sure if walking or just more competition for the rooms there has come into play

Not sure you can compare the majority of harbor blvd hotels to the DL properties in an apples to apples way, but I do get your sentiment. They surely do have their loyal fans who return year after year. It’s all about location, location for many who tend to do shorter stays. Those hotels are closer to the park gates than the DLR if truth be told.

I have absolutely no issue staying offsite @ WDW, especially WBC or at the Hilton properties at DS. Perhaps I’d feel different if we only did a trip or two there each year. Often find myself booking offsite when I don’t want to pay the points per night at whatever resort is left after the 7 month mark. It’s nice to have so many choices

 

[ozliz]

Yes and no. DVC has definitely reinforced my preference for a nicer hotel and resort but I travel all over, not just to Disney, and I stay in hotels at varying levels depending on how much time will be spent there. I’ve stayed In a few nice modern artsy hotels with free minibars which I’ve really liked.

I’d say the main thing DVC has ruined me for is the fact that I now really like a nice spacious resort with nice pools and landscaping. While I can get that closer to home in Thailand (live in Australia), I also love the disney bubble of WDW (especially the smoking restrictions meaning that I can enjoy the pools without an asthma attack - the problem we had at nice resorts in Thailand). Overall I’m willing to go all the way to Orlando for that rather than risking being disappointed by cheaper places closer to home.

 

[Jedi Dad]

This happens a little even when you go from a studio to a 1BR. We had only stayed in studios up until the last day of our recent trip. We had tacked on a 1BR @ BWV (Boardwalk view) for just the last day and..... holy smokes. It’s gigantic. You have a full kitchen, big living area, your own laundry, a fridge with an actual freezer, did I mention a separate bedroom lol.

There was a point in the day where my wife and I were sitting on the couch having a coffee, while our daughter was taking a afternoon nap, where we looked at each other and said “man... how do we even go back to studios now...”

 

[a742246]

This happens a little even when you go from a studio to a 1BR. We had only stayed in studios up until the last day of our recent trip. We had tacked on a 1BR @ BWV (Boardwalk view) for just the last day and..... holy smokes. It’s gigantic. You have a full kitchen, big living area, your own laundry, a fridge with an actual freezer, did I mention a separate bedroom lol.

There was a point in the day where my wife and I were sitting on the couch having a coffee, while our daughter was taking a afternoon nap, where we looked at each other and said “man... how do we even go back to studios now...”

This is what I am afraid of, staying in a 1 br will ruin us.

 

[Ginger R]

Yup agree. And it does make it hard when you have to stay in a regular hotel room in comparison to dvc rooms. We love dvc and it has allowed us to stay at resorts that we otherwise would not have been able to with the way hotel prices are these days.

 

[bwvBound]

Love your story, @tellingson !

For us, timeshare in general (before DVC) ruined us, as you speak. We travelled often for business and were used to the hotel routines and playing loyalty programs (airline, hotel, credit card, etc). Sailed our first ever cruise on the Disney Magic when when she was just 6 weeks into service; had booked a land/sea package that housed us at Boardwalk in the villas. Took the DVC tour but weren’t “sold.” Went home, researched timeshare and purchased a timeshare product that was better fitted for us.

It spoiled us rotten! The space! The amenities! The location choices! The differences between the destinations ... yet the familiar feeling and assurance with regard to quality, cleanliness and unit features. We could walk into a place we’ve never been before and yet know exactly which drawer held the dining utensils with our eyes closed. What a comfortable feeling!

It took us a few years to return to the DVC thought. By then, SSR was in pre-sales and was the first to offer a full 50-year contract since OKW. We were finally sold. We knew we loved timeshare over hotel stays ... we knew we wanted/needed/justified a 1BR unit just for the two of us, etc.

As for the smoking issues ... growing up in California already had me spoiled on that point. We are, practically, an anti-smoking state. It is a difficult adjustment, sometimes, on travel to encounter smoking. ”Oh, right. We aren’t in California anymore ...” (Far more more important thought/reset to us than not being in Kansas anymore.)

 

[igrsod]

We stayed off site for the first night of our vacation, (new years eve), as we couldn't find a room onsite by the time we decided to add that extra night to the trip. How bad could it be?
Although the room was clean, and breakfast was included, it reinforced the benefits of staying onsite, and how nice the DVC hotels are. I agree with the lack of Disney magic, and being taken out of the magic. I'm glad it was our first night, and the rest were spent at AKL. It was good to experience this though.

 

[Tangled Pink]

For years we have stayed in the 1br units when our kids were little. It was great having the separation so they could take naps. Also, it was a way for us to utilize the kitchen and have our morning breakfast or lunch depending on that trip. That was when we would go to Disney once a year. Flash forward, our kids are older now and we vacation differently. They are not picky eaters like they once were so we eat at the parks more now then we did. Plus, I've decided a while ago that I don't want to be cooking meals on our trips and if they are hungry they will snack on things we pack in the suitcase. My husband and I also like to take a trip without the kids so this gives us more point flexiblity so we can stretch out two vacations by booking the studio vs the 1br. It really is much cheaper to to it this way. Just like another poster said, If I need to do laundry I can go down the hall use the free laundry facility. I know it's not the greatest sleeping arrangement with us all packed in one room, but we are so tired at the end of the night we don't mind.

 

[monorailmom]

It has definitely changed our standards!

We still book cash stays, sometimes at Moderates, when we have pretty much used our points up for a given use year. (we are those crazy parents who let our adult kids use points from time to time). It is such an adjustment, even onsite, to not have the kitchenette at the very least...and to not have the washer/dryer..yikes! So much more packing! Or at least planning to visit the laundry room while on a pool break!

The good news is that we all..us and adult kids..know we are completely spoiled and enjoy every minute of our DVC stays.

 

[Dizzydizney]

Yes definitely!! We will sometimes stay at a hotel near the airport to take advantage of cheaper airfare ...go down night before, take free shuttle to hotel, get free breakfast, take free shuttle back to airport and then take Magical express, or pick up rental car, depending on what we had planned. Check into DVC resort bright and early, leave bags in car or bell services and go to a park or the pool or whatever. Those hotel rooms....the worst is the noisy air conditioning unit under the window!!! It's fine for one night, but we are truly spoiled. And one-bedrooms 90% of the time too for the two of us.

I've been looking into doing last minute rentals at Bonnet Creek, right near Epcot. Good bargains to be had, and I think it will be a good way to stretch my vacation....one week there, one week DVC. I do hear good things about it.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Well, I’m on the other side of the fence.
I don’t mean to be a Debbie-downer, but DVC housekeeping is so poor compared to general hotel rooms....
I’d rather stay on the hotel side or off site.

 

[jarestel]

OP, We had a fairly large group going to WDW with us one year and DVC or Disney accommodations weren't going to be large enough to keep everyone together so we rented a 7-BR home in a gated community with private swimming pool about 10-15 minutes from WDW. I have to say the house was more comfortable than a typical DVC room, especially for the amount of people we had and it cost (at the time anyway) only a bit more than a 7 day stay at a Disney moderate.

But even with all of that going for it, we did still miss staying "in the bubble". So I understand your sentiment and like you, am willing to pay the premium for DVC stays.

 

[DaisyNY]

Think after our upcoming trip...3-bedroom Grand Villa at Boardwalk, it may become a whole lot harder to stay in a regular hotel room unless it's just my hubby and I!

 

[DVC_HK]

We live in Atlanta and back in October we went to Six Flags for the first time since I was a kid. The whole time i'm looking at my wife and saying I miss Disney lol. Normal hotels just don't do us justice after staying in a studio but we spoiled ourselves on our Honeymoon in a 1br at Kidani so going back to the studios will be very hard lol. We are going back home in 24 days for a lake view at the Poly so very excited to see the fireworks without the crowds

 

[DebbieB]

My mom thought I was crazy to buy DVC. We then went on a few trips in a 1 bedroom. Then decided to do a Halloween trip staying at CBR since I didn't have points left. What does she say? "I don't like this one room thing".

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

...we rented a 7-BR home in a gated community with private swimming pool about 10-15 minutes from WDW.

...But even with all of that going for it, we did still miss staying "in the bubble". So I understand your sentiment and like you, am willing to pay the premium for DVC stays.

We rented a 2-BR townhouse on a trip a few years back and then a 4-BR house the next time (both in Windsor Hills). We really liked having an entire house (plus we had extended family on that trip, so 4 BR was great! It was literally a few minutes from AK and the price was very affordable! I thought I'd found my permanent WDW lodging solution... much nicer than local offsite hotels and cheaper than onsite, plus LOTS of room. But, it was still no AKL. My family loves it, so we recently purchased resale there. I'm sure there will be times when we want to bank points to have more the following year. So we might still rent a house from time to time. But it's also nice knowing we can now stay at AKL every time if we choose to.