Talk DVC with the Dis Dads

Super sorry to hear about the bad news. We asked my DW's dad and step mom to go with us in October. My FIL is still dealing with the many after effects of battling Leukemia. They do so much for us that we're hoping that they decide to join us.

Thanks Brett.

If your inlaws go, I'm sure there will be memories made that will last a lifetime.
 
Our plans have changed again. Melody's grandfather passed away in January after a short illness. It is sad because we haven't seen him in a couple years and we were looking forward to spending some time with him.

Super sorry to hear about the bad news. We asked my DW's dad and step mom to go with us in October. My FIL is still dealing with the many after effects of battling Leukemia.
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Prayers for both your families.
 
Been quiet over here for a while so I'd thought that I'd drop by with some DVC talk.
So this feels pretty good...
upload_2015-3-25_12-17-15.png
We still have 2 other contracts but we 'expect' to pay them off within the next 12 months, too. Of course, that assumes that things go "as planned."
I am firm believer in the debt snowball method. So we are allocating this payment to another DVC contract.

In addition to this, we have an SSR contract for 50 points and last summer we added on another 75 points at BLT.
I know the DVC loan rates are borderline usury, but I have watched the price per point go up exponentially (my parents bought into DVC in the 90's) and the plan was to apply my flexible spending account reimbursement each year to DVC. At some point I will sit down and determine what the total cost was for each contract.
 
Been quiet over here for a while so I'd thought that I'd drop by with some DVC talk.
So this feels pretty good...

We still have 2 other contracts but we 'expect' to pay them off within the next 12 months, too. Of course, that assumes that things go "as planned."
I am firm believer in the debt snowball method. So we are allocating this payment to another DVC contract.
.

That is the only problem with DVC - addiction with a lot of zeros. :lmao:

We overextended as well with an add-on contract at BLT. I ended up selling it when the minivan finally finally crapped out to get DW and new/used car. I do the Dave Ramsey thing now - debt is dumb, cash is king. The only loan we have is our home mortgage, and it should be paid off in 5 more years. I still have my Disney credit card, but I only use it to buy gas as I am reimbursed by work. Also, i do use them for the rare online shopping & Disney vacation, but never carry the balance.
 
Well, as usual i'm late to the dance but we've been DVC members since 2004. It was our second trip to the world, the first in '96 when our son was 9. Was invited down by my cousins who bought in to DVC the very first year. We got there on a sunday and liked Old Key West so much we bought our first shares that Tuesday. We have points in SSR and Aluani.
 
Been quiet over here for a while so I'd thought that I'd drop by with some DVC talk.
So this feels pretty good...
View attachment 84261
We still have 2 other contracts but we 'expect' to pay them off within the next 12 months, too. Of course, that assumes that things go "as planned."
I am firm believer in the debt snowball method. So we are allocating this payment to another DVC contract.

In addition to this, we have an SSR contract for 50 points and last summer we added on another 75 points at BLT.
I know the DVC loan rates are borderline usury, but I have watched the price per point go up exponentially (my parents bought into DVC in the 90's) and the plan was to apply my flexible spending account reimbursement each year to DVC. At some point I will sit down and determine what the total cost was for each contract.
Congratulations paying off your loan!

Why wouldn't you buy resale for 1/2 the price? You'd miss the 'benefits' of buying direct, but who cares if you are only using your points for DVC stays?



Well, as usual i'm late to the dance but we've been DVC members since 2004. It was our second trip to the world, the first in '96 when our son was 9. Was invited down by my cousins who bought in to DVC the very first year. We got there on a sunday and liked Old Key West so much we bought our first shares that Tuesday. We have points in SSR and Aluani.
:welcome: to the DisDads DVC talk. This is one of the only threads where we stay on topic (mostly). ;)
 


Why wouldn't you buy resale for 1/2 the price? You'd miss the 'benefits' of buying direct, but who cares if you are only using your points for DVC stays?
). ;)

I like resale. But, one of the advantages of buying direct on a 2nd contract is having the same UY. Otherwise, it's booking with different UY and linking reservations. More reservations means more MBs and potential delays in getting specifics days. I think the hassle would be worth $5K price difference.
 
Congratulations paying off your loan!

Why wouldn't you buy resale for 1/2 the price? You'd miss the 'benefits' of buying direct, but who cares if you are only using your points for DVC stays?

I like resale. But, one of the advantages of buying direct on a 2nd contract is having the same UY. Otherwise, it's booking with different UY and linking reservations. More reservations means more MBs and potential delays in getting specifics days. I think the hassle would be worth $5K price difference.

Well, we bought in originally without any consideration for resale, probably b\c my dad and stepmom, and my older brother had all bought in through DVC. When we bought in, we used my brother as a reference and got a deeply discounted point price in comparison to the going rates for DVC, so we didn't get completely financially raped! Then we added 50, thinking that our original purchase wasn't going to be enough. I was too untrusting of resale (probably unwarranted) It didn't take long for us to recognize an error in our purchase of SSR and something else!
1. We failed to realize that you couldn't stockpile points!
2. We failed to understand how challenging it was to get our desired resorts at the 7-month mark!

My philosophy with the direct purchase was piece of mind. I always suspect the worst scenario like resale purchases were going to have even more restrictions added.
So after navigating the turbulent DVC waters, we are smooth sailing. Our plan was to try and stay at different DVC resorts. But there are a few that we're really not interested in at all. So understanding the lack of availability at 7 months, we thought that we'd just book every year at BLT at the 11-month mark and then try for our target resort at the 7-month mark. We love BLT, so we are always fine if we are "stuck" there. We realized that we really didn't have enough points to get what we needed every year (again realizing our flaw in the SSR contract) and added on to BLT. Despite being sold out, DVC simply buys back from DVC owners (thus part of the ROFR) and sell them back to folks like me. but again, 3 contracts, all in the same UY. I'll probably pay off the SSR contract before we get though summer and then the my other BLT and we'll be done with DVC loans. At some point I will probably sell of the SSR and put the funds aside to contribute ANOTHER BLT contract. The next contract is gonna be all cash though. We've been doing 1BR villas and this trip, due to having some "bonus" points from adding on, we are staying in a 2BR Villa. I suspect that I will be spoiled by it.
 
I like resale. But, one of the advantages of buying direct on a 2nd contract is having the same UY. Otherwise, it's booking with different UY and linking reservations. More reservations means more MBs and potential delays in getting specifics days. I think the hassle would be worth $5K price difference.
With so many resale contracts on the market, I'm sure you'd find your UY fairly quickly. :rolleyes:

Well, we bought in originally without any consideration for resale, probably b\c my dad and stepmom, and my older brother had all bought in through DVC. When we bought in, we used my brother as a reference and got a deeply discounted point price in comparison to the going rates for DVC, so we didn't get completely financially raped! Then we added 50, thinking that our original purchase wasn't going to be enough. I was too untrusting of resale (probably unwarranted) It didn't take long for us to recognize an error in our purchase of SSR and something else!
1. We failed to realize that you couldn't stockpile points!
2. We failed to understand how challenging it was to get our desired resorts at the 7-month mark!
I can see buying direct for a smaller contract because the small ones are few and far in between, get snatched up quickly, and the small contracts have a higher price.

My philosophy with the direct purchase was piece of mind. I always suspect the worst scenario like resale purchases were going to have even more restrictions added.
So after navigating the turbulent DVC waters, we are smooth sailing. Our plan was to try and stay at different DVC resorts. But there are a few that we're really not interested in at all. So understanding the lack of availability at 7 months, we thought that we'd just book every year at BLT at the 11-month mark and then try for our target resort at the 7-month mark. We love BLT, so we are always fine if we are "stuck" there. We realized that we really didn't have enough points to get what we needed every year (again realizing our flaw in the SSR contract) and added on to BLT. Despite being sold out, DVC simply buys back from DVC owners (thus part of the ROFR) and sell them back to folks like me. but again, 3 contracts, all in the same UY. I'll probably pay off the SSR contract before we get though summer and then the my other BLT and we'll be done with DVC loans. At some point I will probably sell of the SSR and put the funds aside to contribute ANOTHER BLT contract. The next contract is gonna be all cash though. We've been doing 1BR villas and this trip, due to having some "bonus" points from adding on, we are staying in a 2BR Villa. I suspect that I will be spoiled by it.
How many total points do you have? How big is your SSR contract?

I know that the 7 month mark books up quick at other resorts but we bought SSR because we don't really care where we stay as long as we are on property. This might change down the road but we mostly travel at slower DVC times so we shouldn't have a problem for a while. (I hope)
 
Well, we bought in originally without any consideration for resale, probably b\c my dad and stepmom, and my older brother had all bought in through DVC. When we bought in, we used my brother as a reference and got a deeply discounted point price in comparison to the going rates for DVC

There is nothing wrong with buying direct. I recommend not going into debt regardless of the method of purchase. What happened with us, and I'm guessing many Disney people who buy on their vacation, is they get caught up in the emotion of the purchase. We bought small resale contracts, and bought at SSR, BWV, & BLT. Yes, we had enough points for 1 BR or multiple trips a year. But, we then had to buy tickets, food, etc for those multiple trips. We overextended the vacation budget and had a great time.

Now, we are down to our 100 point contract at BWV, which is enough for an annual week in a studio for a family of four. I sold the other contracts at bought DW's car. My goal is to retire to Florida in the next decade, and I want to put the money towards that goal.
 
Now, we are down to our 100 point contract at BWV, which is enough for an annual week in a studio for a family of four. I sold the other contracts at bought DW's car. My goal is to retire to Florida in the next decade, and I want to put the money towards that goal.

Amen, Norm.

Disney is is really my only "financial" vice. I subscribe to your theory of small sacrifices now to attain the long term goal. I have our finances on lock down with an actual plan. I'm less of a budget person and more of a financial awareness person. Am very tuned in to where are money goes. That wasn't always the case. It does help that my DW is on the same page with me and if I mention that we need to curb spending, there's no argument.
 
Just wanted to share my booking experience with folks here b\c I had a DVC life-lesson moment during the process.
As I've noted, we book at 11 months for BLT and then move when able to another resort at the 7-month mark.
The plan was to move to VWL for this trip. I'd been keeping track of availability for a while and saw what looked to be the week we wanted at VWL.
I call on the 7-month mark but I called about 15 minutes after MS opens...Sun-Sat is open but our first day wasn't! I wait list the whole week at VWL. I do some quick research and common advice was take what they have at the target resort. Then you'd only have to wait list a day instead of a week.
So the wheels start turning and I think, we can do the first day at BLT and then move to VWL like they recommended.
A sound plan for sure, but the logistics of adjusting our resort reservations was going to be a nightmare! I'll elaborate.
1. I couldn't just modify the existing ressie, I had to cancel and re-book. To add to the challenge, BLT was basically at capacity! So if I canceled the week, the Sat date wasn't likely to be available.
2. Even if I could successfully re-book BLT for just Sat, I'd have to wait another day before I could book at VWL. Grrr.
3. So I decide I'll call MS and have a chat with them about best-case scenario and what they recommended. I got a very informative and pleasant CM. She was confirming my understanding and just sharing best case practices and as she looked at the options available....voila...my wait-list came through!

So now the planning commences. We are slowly putting our plan together but we have a lot of variables at this juncture so we are slowly but surely penciling in everything.
We are leaving PIT at 7:30 am and are scheduled to arrive at MCO at 10:00 am. This is about 2 hours earlier than what we normally do. For Saturday we are planning to hit MK and haven't determined what we want to do for late afternoon\evening in regards to dining and such.
Sunday: AK is the plan then to hit DTD after that. We are planning to meet either fiends or relatives. We just need to determine which restaurant. If you recall Norm, last time my D wanted T-Rex but we did Raglan Road. We were considering T-Rex again, but my preference is to go where the food is good versus the theatrics of a dinosaur themed restaurant.
Tue: Thinking EPCOT or DHS in AM. We are hoping to get MNSSHP tickets for Tuesday so that night we'll be in MK. The fam has agreed to dress up and go Pirate theme.
Wed: Chillax in the morning and then head over to Fantasia Gardens for late morning mini golf. Then fit in Beaches and Cream. After that we'll hit either HS or EPCOT.

That's all we have for now but the dining experiences that we have all agrred on are:
Artist Point and Whispering Canyon at WL
Garden Grill at EPCOT with Biergarten on the peripheral wish list Garden Grill is for DD7 Bday.
Sci-Fi diner for lunch
Chef Mickey's late breakfast. This is for DD10 Bday
Everything else is up in the air.
 
Amen, Norm.

Disney is is really my only "financial" vice. I subscribe to your theory of small sacrifices now to attain the long term goal. I have our finances on lock down with an actual plan. I'm less of a budget person and more of a financial awareness person. Am very tuned in to where are money goes. That wasn't always the case. It does help that my DW is on the same page with me and if I mention that we need to curb spending, there's no argument.

I still do the budget, but I don't count every category like I had to in the past. We do monthly expenses for groceries & restaurant with cash envelopes. This is easily my biggest runaway expense as I enjoy good food, drink, and dining experiences. Spending money, church donation, and chores also in cash. I pay the other bills online and then address the larger expenses as needed. My plan was to retire before 50 and move to Florida. But, i'm going to work longer to pay for college for dds.

1. I couldn't just modify the existing ressie, I had to cancel and re-book. To add to the challenge, BLT was basically at capacity! So if I canceled the week, the Sat date wasn't likely to be available.
2. Even if I could successfully re-book BLT for just Sat, I'd have to wait another day before I could book at VWL. Grrr.
3. So I decide I'll call MS and have a chat with them about best-case scenario and what they recommended. I got a very informative and pleasant CM. She was confirming my understanding and just sharing best case practices and as she looked at the options available....voila...my wait-list came through!
.

Congrats on the wait list. I liked VWL but DW did not as the pine trees messed with her allergies. My favorite was the direct boat ride to MK over the water bridge.
 
With so many resale contracts on the market, I'm sure you'd find your UY fairly quickly. :rolleyes:
The combination of the right amount of points AND UY was the tough part.

How many total points do you have? How big is your SSR contract?
305 total - - BLT 180, SSR 50 and BLT 75

I know that the 7 month mark books up quick at other resorts but we bought SSR because we don't really care where we stay as long as we are on property. This might change down the road but we mostly travel at slower DVC times so we shouldn't have a problem for a while. (I hope)
And that's the rub. If you don't care which DVC resort it is, you are golden. That's the part we didn't really digest or inquire about when we bought into DVC. We weren't aware of how difficult it would be at the 7-month mark, but we also didn't tell our sales rep that we would plan to stay at a bunch of different DVC resorts.

All in all, we are happy with our DVC situation currently. We'' swap out the SSR at some point and add more BLT, but no until the BIG financial goals are squared away.
 
My plan was to retire before 50 and move to Florida. But, i'm going to work longer to pay for college for dds.
I hear ya. We have Education Saving Accounts for both of our girls and the plan is to hit FL once both are through college. So it's going to be at least 55 for me.



Congrats on the wait list. I liked VWL but DW did not as the pine trees messed with her allergies. My favorite was the direct boat ride to MK over the water bridge.
We are pretty excited. None of us have terrible allergies, so I'm hoping we're okay. Years ago, I realized that every Disney trip, I'd get some type of "head cold" until I determined that it must have been some type of reaction to vast difference in climates. I now simply take a Claritin each day and zero issues.
 
And that's the rub. If you don't care which DVC resort it is, you are golden. That's the part we didn't really digest or inquire about when we bought into DVC. We weren't aware of how difficult it would be at the 7-month mark, but we also didn't tell our sales rep that we would plan to stay at a bunch of different DVC resorts.
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True. When we started, we were happy with any resort. Hey, we are at Disney, the most magical place on earth. Then, we stayed at BWV. Both DW and I agreed it was just the most amazing resort, and we would be happiest staying there. We had walking distance to two parks, night entertainment at the BWV, short walk to restaurants, and cheapest points (standard view). We both really liked BLT, me more so that DW, but BWV won out as we had more points there. I want to try VGF and PVB, and will still be happy staying at any of the DVC resorts, but I do own at my favorite.

I hear ya. We have Education Saving Accounts for both of our girls and the plan is to hit FL once both are through college. So it's going to be at least 55 for me.
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Currently, I get free tuition for one family member at a time as a benefit, but only for my University. I can't pass up six years of paid tuition. If they change it before they get there, then I'll be able to move sooner than later.
 
I'm getting antsy about the VWL stay. SUPER excited for it but apprehensive b\c we've stayed at BLT, BWV and then BLT again for the past 3 trips. I have become spoiled by location! Everyone has assured me that the transportation won;t be an issue.

@AirGoofy Norm - I am definitely looking forward to the water bridge. My kids will love that, too.
 
I'm getting antsy about the VWL stay. SUPER excited for it but apprehensive b\c we've stayed at BLT, BWV and then BLT again for the past 3 trips. I have become spoiled by location! Everyone has assured me that the transportation won;t be an issue.
If nothing else it's only 1 week. If it doesn't work out, you always have next year. I like having some variety in my life.

@AirGoofy Norm - I am definitely looking forward to the water bridge. My kids will love that, too.
I rented a SeaRaycer a few years ago from the Poly... not sure if I was allowed to but I went from the lagoon to Bay Lake over the water bridge. It was pretty cool. :sail:[/QUOTE]
 
@AirGoofy Norm - I am definitely looking forward to the water bridge. My kids will love that, too.

BWV has walking to two parks thing, so it is really convenient. But, the trip to the water bridge to MK made up for it. You also have the option to boat to CR, where you can then walk to CR bus stop to go to another park or DTD. On my list, both BLT & BWV rank higher than WL, but WL is still high up there.

I rented a SeaRaycer a few years ago from the Poly... not sure if I was allowed to but I went from the lagoon to Bay Lake over the water bridge. It was pretty cool. :sail:

I have seen others take that route, but maybe one is not supposed to. :confused: It is a water way, and i have seen those SeaRaycers along other Disney transportation boats at Crescent Lake (Boardwalk), the waterways that connect SSR, OKW, POR to DTD. There are boat rentals at CR and Poly, which would be Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon, right? As long as you aren't playing chicken with the other boats then you should be 0k?
 

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