Well, I wrote a lot of “stuff” above, and it’s funny to think that one sentence can erase all of that, but it very well could. That phrase is, “will owning Disney Vacation Club increase my quality of life?” If the answer to this question is yes, all the economic considerations in the world may very well be meaningless. It may be a good idea to buy DVC anyway.
If things like “Welcome Home” doormats, Disney Archives Magazine show up in your mailbox, going to bed at night knowing your vacation is partially paid for in advance for the next 40 years, the “forced vacation” aspect If owning a piece of Magic or being able to carpool with friends and family in amazing and unique accommodations is either a big deal to you or will make you happier, then you might want to ignore everything I’ve written above.
As with everything in life, “happiness” is that trump card that can render everything else meaningless. Simply put, you can’t put a price on happiness and peace of mind.
Try before you buy!
We recommend trying Disney Vacation Club before you buy to see if it’s right for you. You can do this by reserving a Deluxe Villa directly from Disney or by renting Disney Vacation Club points. We highly recommend renting Disney Vacation Club points, as you’ll save significantly when you book directly from Disney (typical savings even with a discounted Deluxe Villa price is around 50%) and you’ll get the true “Owner” experience.
Check out our Guide to Renting Disney Vacation Club Points for more information on the process! For rental points, there are a few options. The most popular is point rentals at the DVC Rental Store or David’s Vacation Club Rentals, which specialize in point rentals.
This is actually another place where you might want to stop and do the math. Not to see if renting is cheaper than booking through Disney (it certainly is), but to see if renting Disney Vacation Club points for all your trips is a better option than buying Disney Vacation Club points. We know many people who go this route year after year because it provides huge savings without locking them into an actual contract. It’s something to seriously think about, and you might be surprised at how attractive it can be to rent, rather than buy.
I want to buy DVC, what next?
Home Resort – If saving money is the driving force behind your purchase, and you’ve crunched the numbers and think it can be done, this is a no-brainer: Buy in Saratoga Springs through the DVC Resale Market. If money is a concern, but you have a definite resort preference, you should shop where you want to stay. If you’re not happy unless you can Stay At Disney Resorts & Save 50% With David’s DVC Points each trip, you need to buy points there.
This is especially true with the popular small resorts, like the Beach Club Villas, which are difficult to book in the 7 months for much of the year. At a minimum, your home resort should be somewhere you wouldn’t mind staying, because you may need to stay there during the busier seasons, where other resorts are booked out at the 7-month mark. If you’re not sure which resort might be the one you want to call home, read our article ranking Disney Vacation Club resorts.
Start Looking at Resale Listings – There are several sites that can help you purchase Disney Vacation Club through the resale market, and the one we recommend is DVC Resale Market. We like them because this is the only reseller that was founded by former DVC guides; Nick Cotton and Kevin were truly Disney’s best sales guides, and they know Disney Vacation Club inside and out.
In addition to the DVC Resale Market, there are many other sites and resources where you can purchase Disney Vacation Club through resale. Popular ones include Britonthemove.com, The Timeshare Store, and Britonthemove.com, and I’ve only heard positive feedback about each. Find out what you want, if your contract needs to be “loaded” and start making reasonable offers on contracts. Another resource to use to find Disney Vacation Club resale listings is Britonthemove.com. It’s basically a search engine for active listings on major DVC resale sites.
Research, research, research! – This post is directed at whether you should buy Disney Vacation Club. Once you have made your decision, you need to understand several aspects of the property. Regarding those things, this post barely scratches the surface. You may have seen past references to the “7 month window” above. Do you know what that is? Do you understand terms such as “banking,” “borrowing,” “ROFR,” or “use year,” just to name a few terms?
Disney Vacation Club practically has its own lexicon, and it’s important to fully understand the product before you buy. I spent two years reading and posting on the Britonthemove.com forums before we made our purchase. It’s worth hanging around there or the other sites mentioned above before making a purchase. The members there can impart far more wisdom on you than I ever can. Many of them are true experts.
