Is Disney Vacation Club Worth the $$ in 2024

[@KarenBee]

CORRECTION: The cost of finance was calculated here on the total contract cost at the end of the video instead of on the upfront cost only (i.e. the cost per point) - the correct calculation has now been updated in the google sheet. I'll upload a separate video soon detailing the cost of Finance for all contracts.

[@DisneyMomUK]

Logged on my phone just to say this but good video love the number crunching!!

[@DocsGreetingCards]

great analysis. I was close to buying into DVC about 5 years ago. When I actually sat down and broke down the numbers, including the ever increasing dues, I didn't think it was worth it. another cost that must be factored in is the ever growing cost of park tickets, food, etc. Probably the only way I'd consider DVC is if they threw in park tickets, which they did in the early days.

[@b.nicolebaskin2594]

Totally agree and being out of state we haven’t even calculated travel. I was talking with a rep earlier and in the info video I completely lost interest when they said park tickets are not included. I’m literally paying thousands of dollars every year for the room alone.

[@KarenBee]

@@b.nicolebaskin2594 This is so true and I think that's why DVC only makes sense if you already intend to visit regularly and buy tickets etc - one thing that's been good for us is being able to buy the Florida resident AP as we go a couple of times a year for longer trips so it saves us a few hundred dollars each. That's why when anyone asks me if DVC is worth it I always say it depends and it's only usually worth it under a very specific set of circumstances! Anyway - thanks so much for watching!

[@KarenBee]

Wish they would include tickets!!

[@jennwilliams7415]

I’m a member with 5 contracts myself and I want to say, thank you! I love all your videos. You explain all of this the best of all the creators I’ve ever seen and I adore you jumping into the weeds and clarifying the amount the actual financing costs, because it is INSANE! Way too many people just don’t think about that!

[@KarenBee]

So glad you enjoy the videos - I hear too many stories of people getting pushed into signed these large contracts and committing to financing! It's so expensive!

[@KristinMullaney]

Karen - THANK YOU for taking the time to explain this. Over the years I have gotten sucked into the dream of "wow, I would love to be a DVC member". It is a dream but the time you took to explain all of the aspects that should be consider was priceless!

[@KarenBee]

I’m so glad it was helpful!

[@cathyhamilton5131]

I love how well you explain everything for DVC. I don't think most people understand interest costs on any purchase (cars, houses, etc). Thanks for all the great information.

[@KarenBee]

Ye that's it - financing in general is not as transparent as it should be!

[@christinetownsend1100]

I'm so glad I stumbled across this! I've been searching for this information and you gave me everything I needed!

[@KarenBee]

Ah I'm so happy to hear this!

[@marygorden2334]

Excellent video, thank you smart girl! I can’t wait to take our two grandsons to WDW when they’re older. You have an excellent communication style that your viewers must appreciate.

[@WanderingAl08]

Thank you for this! My father and I are looking to go into purchasing DVC, and this breakdown (and your spreadsheet) is incredibly helpful for us to make a decision on what we want to do.

[@MoniqueARuiz]

This series actually helped me when I went to buy. I ended up getting a 50 point resale last October (mostly solo traveler, mostly studios, and like to try all the resorts), but now that I’m a member, I can add on less points direct, which I plan to do (budgeting 50 points worth of cost now) so that I’m not excluded from any of the other resorts in the future. I would love to get full member benefits, but since they aren’t guaranteed and can/do change, I’m happy with the small hybrid approach I’m taking. Thanks again for unknowingly helping me make the decision to buy in!

[@veronicacoates8832]

Considering buying in to DVC. This video has been EXTREMELY insightful. Thank you!!

[@alicevillasenor8338]

Your spreadsheet videos are so helpful! I’m glad you talked about the true costs of financing options. 🤯

[@KarenBee]

Ah thank you - glad you found it helpful!

[@katcrow9988]

Brilliantly done! This is the best comparison video I have seen. THANK YOU for all the time you put into it and, more importantly, for "dumbing it down" so I could understand! I bought my first DVC contract in March 2019. I have since purchased a few more via DVC Resale Market. I use Monera Financial to buy it initially, and then, once the contract is in hand, I try to pay it off. They have never penalized me for doing that, so it's a great way to snatch up a really great low-ball contract and then figure out how to pay for it later :) We own at Beach Club and Aulani. We sold our Grand Californian and are now buying Old Key West. Each contract is 100 pts. I love DVC, and my only regret is not buying sooner.

[@KarenBee]

Aw thank you! I also used Monera for financing and loved that I could pay it down without penalty. That's essentially why I did it too, the contract was going for such a great price! Ooooh I LOVE OLD KEY WEST! We were originally supposed to own there and love staying there!

[@bobairasian2934]

Karen, what a fantastic job you did explaining things about DVC costs and the value proposition across resorts ! I learned a lot! 👍🏻

[@KarenBee]

Aw thank you!

[@superioradvantage]

Buying 50 points to stay off season and relax and golf. We’ll split stay one night at an expensive resort then lower point rooms. Can get 3-5 nights depending on the resort and time. We’ll get our money back in 2 trips and can go down each year for $425 a year for 3-5 nights! I don’t think anyone can book a studio at Boardwalk for 3-5 nights for $75 a night😂 we can build a 10 day trip if we go every other year or stay in a larger room. A lot of choices on lower point rooms if you work the system correctly. Great video!

[@tommurray823]

I bought 370 points BC & BW for a total of $18K over 5 years for cash. Think you may want to include a present value analysis in your calculation. Sometimes we go just to play golf or sit in the sun for a few days. Now with grandchildren it’s parks and cruises. Probably the best investment I’ve made. I agree, stay as far away from financing as you can

[@coronabuster3611]

This is by far the best comparison I've seen, very, very helpful.

[@kellibertelsman1191]

Thanks for taking the time to go through this. It’s very helpful.

[@KarenBee]

You are so welcome!

[@KeithEvans-xo8wl]

Fantastic job Karen, clear and easy to follow guide. We’re looking at buying DVC at the moment and your vlog and spread sheet have really helped us understand the whole picture, thank you

[@KarenBee]

You're so welcome I'm glad it's helpful!

[@WhoAteThePeach]

Joined a couple of years ago but via resale. Luckily one of our contracts was the poly which has gone up in value now. However, even with one trip - we stayed In rooms costing thousands a night if we had paid cash. So, it really gives you an experience which you probably would never have without having DVC.

[@KarenBee]

Ah we LOVE the poly!! That's it we definitely wouldn't be staying in deluxe resorts every trip without it!

[@davidcmatt]

That is a VERY nice job you did on the video and the spreadsheet.

[@colincartee2145]

Good video. Only thing that has stopped me from buying DVC is no club level (besides AKL). We’ve stayed club past 3 trips and absolutely LOVE it. Still might buy a contract, who knows

[@rebeldonegans]

Seriously impressed. Brilliant video, so well built up. YOU ARE FAB!

[@KarenBee]

Wow, thank you!

[@lyricrain1906]

This is one of the most helpful videos on this topic I have seen. Thank you for sharing your research! Your spreadsheet is incredible. I was looking for the other videos you mentioned that involved your DVC points purchases. Is there a "your DVC purchase" playlist?

[@KarenBee]

gosh sorry this reply is prob too late but it's here: kzbin.info/aero/PL_YgdVNPSoxe_PpxUoM92rw5YlaU_WSYf&si=7Tht2XcSU_u91uK4

[@DianaCgifford]

Thank you so much! This clarifies the whole thing.

[@RonDeSena]

Hi Karen… thank you for this information, it’s so helpful! I copied the spreadsheet you created and I’m going to use it to figure out if I wan’t to contract!

[@KarenBee]

Aw that's great to hear I'm glad it was helpful!

[@CoachTomStruble]

Here’s a hack from a teacher for your Google Doc. In the url change where it says either “view” or “edit” to “copy”. When people click the link it’ll then auto prompt then do make a copy. No more privilege request emails for you to deal with.

[@KarenBee]

Thank you!! I've changed it to copy!

[@md-lv6my]

I’m not much for spreadsheets, but I’m glad we joined in 1994. The value just keeps growing.

[@KarenBee]

I do not want how much (or little) you paid but I KNOW you could sell for a nice profit today which is mad when you think about it!

[@GamerGuyProductions]

This was the most helpful video I've watched this year

[@dee_mcgee11]

Purchasing a small DVC resale contract was the best decision I ever made.

[@KarenBee]

Aw that's good to hear!

[@cindyandkurt]

I studied accounting in college and I'm still confused 😅😅 We rent the points from DVC Rental Store and love the savings!!

[@KarenBee]

Renting is a great option - no future financial commitment and you get to stay in the lovely DVC locations!

[@Sunflower00987]

Thank you for explaining this via the spreadsheet and the numbers. This has always been my question when I’ve looked at DVC - how many points and how is this a value to those who buy in.

[@lesliereynolds4492]

This helps a lot. I’ll probably just rent before I’d buy.

[@KarenBee]

It's a really good idea to rent and see how you feel about it as it's such a big financial commitment!

[@Minionlover19283]

@KarenBee Can I make a suggestion to google sheet? At the end of your link you can add /copy it will automatically force a copy so non techie people won’t get confused. Thanks for great information.

[@KarenBee]

Oh this is a fab tip thank you! Will sort this out later!

[@teresahowell5631]

Hi, Karen! I love when you do these price breakdowns. I completely understand and agree that financing these contracts is bonkers but I’m curious about your calculations. When using the calculator to figure finance costs on the AKL contract, did you use the total cost (INCLUDING annual dues over lifetime)? Am I missing something or shouldn’t it just be figured on the contract cost itself?

[@KarenBee]

You're totally right! My sister messaged me this too, I guess that's what I get for doing the Finance bit at the end when I had spreadsheet square eyes lol I've updated the spreadsheet and added a pin comment - will do a separate video on financing!

[@chrispy65]

Thank you gor all your detail. I think it's worth mentioning that once you buy, you can sell later, recouping some of the cost per poing at the end. Im considering buying at Boardwalk because there are only 18 years left, and comparing that to buying at Poly & selling after 18 years (im 60, so 18 years seems like all the use I'd need). Its not our of the realm of possibilities that i could sell the contract at the same $250/point I purchased at, given that Disney's price per point will likely be well over that amount.

[@brownsfamily24]

Hi Karen, hope you’re still replying to comments on this? Great video, we are looking to purchase DVC next year, we’re hoping you can answer a few questions for us, TIA. 1. If we purchase in cash, no finance, all we pay going forward are the yearly dues, right? 2. What’s the benefit of buying direct over resale as all contracts end at the same time for each resort? 3. If we buy resale at 150 points do we still get ALL DVC member benefits/perks? 4. If we buy direct or resale could we expect to sell it ourselves in 5 years and recoup a lot of our money? 5. If we buy, is it just 1 person that becomes the member/ gets the discount/ gets the pink ring on entering parks etc? 6. If we let family members go instead of us, do they get the discounts/perks etc? Thanks for your time if you see this and can answer and thanks for your content 😊😊😊

[@Licensed_Aesthetician.Rachel]

Wow what do you do for a living? This is awesome! 👏🏻

[@KarenBee]

I’m an accountant! Thanks!

[@stevekreutzer4104]

So if you buy into DVC for 100pts you don't receive the Member Benefits (discounts for dining/shopping, discounted tickets, etc)?

[@Chili327]

Correct. You need 150 points directly from Disney. But you can get most discounts from the Disney visa or annual pass. All the more reason resale is a way better value. 😊

[@berniehanrahan5701]

Thank you for explaining this so well, I would recommend this video to anyone considering DVC purchase. I have looked at renting before and that's about all I could do 😅 I noticed the logo on your sleeves, are you a club 33 member and if yes could you do a cost video on it?

[@KarenBee]

Aw thank you so much, I appreciate it! Oh gosh I WISH I WAS but no I just got super lucky and was taken one time and of course had to pounce on some merch!

[@a-totally-random-person]

DVC is the most insane thing I've ever heard of. For that cost, WDW would have to be all-inclusive for members for me to even consider it.

[@amritbanga2392]

Brilliant breakdown 👌 essentially as long as you dont use finance for that upfront payment, it should be worth it 😉 👍

[@KarenBee]

I guess depending on your holiday habits! Also even more so resale if you don’t mind the restrictions!

[@amritbanga2392]

@KarenBee thank you so much, your two dvc videos have been so comprehensive and honest! Appreciated!

[@jessicascraps4010]

Great explanation

[@KarenBee]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kevinaihara9707]

Can you share your spreadsheet?

[@KarenBee]

You just need to open the spreadsheet and make a copy :)

[@american-hero]

Great video thanks. I have some questions. Do you have a video explaining just how the point system works? Meaning things like you have a 150 points and you stay at a resort that cost 25 points for a week. Is that per person? Also after the first year if you used say 75 points, the following year do you buy more points and carry over the left over? I thought you said you carry over.

[@KarenBee]

I think I covered this a bit in my first video but I'm planning a new video covering all of the DVC basics! To answer your questions you pay a point per night per room - this is a room rate so number of people is irrelevant (other than of course each room has a max number of people that can be accommodated) You can 'bank' points from one year to the next year but you MUST use those points in that next year. i.e. if you bank 100 points from 2024 to 2025 you must use those 100 in 2025 and they can't be banked again. The points also don't automatically bank - you have to do this manually and there is a deadline. You can also 'borrow' so those same 2024 points can be borrowed forward into 2023. Once borrowed into 2023 they can't be banked and must be used in 2023. I recommend using the Dave's Vacation Club Cost Calculator I show in my video for understanding how many points you would need for each room time type / time of year.

[@american-hero]

@@KarenBee thank you very much. I’ll look for your other videos

[@lesliereynolds4492]

They’ve offered me The Disneyland property but always try to sell me 250 points. No way will I need that many points and with maintenance fees and tickets, and annual passes going so high I’m looking into going to the Japan parks. I really like your updates on the prices.

[@ManSplaining1]

Does anyone have the average increase of the dues over the last say 10 years to calculate that into the total cost over the life of the contract. Surely in 10-15 years the dues won’t be from $7-8 dollars. And those increases compound as well.

[@KarenBee]

What I’ve done in the calc is use current day prices for comparative purposes, so I’ve not inflated either the dues or the cash prices to stay at resorts or the rental prices. But you’re right for a more accurate look at the contract life with DVC building in an expected inflation rate based on historic increases would be helpful - I’m working on a new video that does this, was trying to keep it super simple for this one.

[@nurvx2]

So, let's say I don't want to become a math professor, and just want to go on holiday for 7 days each year to a nice D-hotel for the next 30 years: What would be cheaper - DVC or just going as a regular hotel guest?

[@Pigletish]

If you plan to stay every 2 years vs every year, can you always bank those points and therefore buy half the points?

[@KarenBee]

Yes! If you’re banking like you say you’d had two years worth of points

[@aliciacampa4247]

If you purchase resale, is parking at grand Californian and Aulani free?

[@KarenBee]

Parking is free with all DVC bookings regardless of how you got your contract!

[@gavinknott1677]

Whats the situation of buying 150 points but wanting to stay 2 weeks in a studio say which costs 152+ points. Do you have to pay the difference or remove a night and bank points? Or can u buy resale point contract to add additional points? Or buy more points from disney in smaller quantities? Confused. 150 points doesnt get u 2 weeks at most resorts in sept :(

[@Chili327]

Those amounts were just to use as an example. But if that was your exact scenario, yes you can borrow 2 points from the next year, or you can buy 2 points from Disney. Most people will make sure they have more than enough, so if 152 was your magic number and going to go every other year, you’d probably want an 80pt contract (160 every other year)

[@blackcountrysmoggie]

There's a lot of work that's gone into this. As an investment analyst who loves and hates spreadsheets in equal degrees, it's appreciated. Ignore any silly comments from people trying to mansplain 'simple math' RE: increasing dues. "Hey, miss accountant, have you not heard of inflation?" "Oh, you mean that thing that's totally variable and impossible to accurately predict even when using averages?"🙄 Ultimately, I think the 'value' of any DVC contract is subjective on the opinion of the consumer. If it gives you what you want, then it may well be the right value for you. My partner is off at WDW at the moment and is considering joining. For her, she is able to pay the upfront cost outright for the points she needs at the resort she wants, knows she will be visiting every 2 or 3 years (we are UK based), wants the blue card perks, and the optionally to stay at other resorts worldwide or the cruises. She sees it as a long-term prepayment on accomodation costs for family holidays which we, and hopefully our kids and even grandkids can enjoy too.

[@margaretmurphy6623]

After having stayed at the off property villa, how do feel that stacks up to a DVC stay? Obviously, you are further from the park but you have so much space and amenities…..

[@KarenBee]

So we love both! I like the split stay so I can get the best of both - be onsite for the park days and then have a more chilled time offsite with less time in the parks

[@dnasch]

Its amazing. But i still cant tell if it worth it

[@KarenBee]

It's definitely a person choice and whether it's worth it or not will depend on how you vacation.

[@PlumberryPuppet]

I wish you could just manage all my personal finances.

[@KarenBee]

I wish I was this meticulous about my own personal finances lol

[@MoniqueARuiz]

Me too! Lol although your spreadsheet inspired me to create my own much more rudimentary spreadsheet to manage my finances and it’s been a game changer. Not sure why I never did this before

[@joewiggins2905]

We've crunched the numbers for the past 20 years and DVC made no $ sense for us. We can stay off property for much, much less and get more for our dollar. We go once or twice a year to either WDW, DL and DCL

[@KarenBee]

We love staying off site, our last two trips with the family we've done a week in a villa and it's SO NICE!

[@cryptocorey8582]

How was it not clear. You can ask literally any question. We asked all those questions you said you didn't understand. They gave all kinds of practical information.

[@barbaramallon4318]

You all so use point at Disney aulani

[@KarenBee]

Yes I used mine Aulani

[@disneybaker5165]

Not with current prices, they don’t want us there anymore

[@malloryconnor4550]

Great breakdown.

[@HansomEden-o1g]

Thompson Jennifer Hall Susan Robinson Deborah

[@Brianjohn222]

It seems grossly inaccurate to claim to calculate the "total contract cost" while ignoring the yearly increase of annual dues. Every "is DVC still worth it" video seems to ignore this fact, and I am not sure if it's because they want to make DVC appear better or if they can't do the simple math required to calculate the total cost. Assuming an average increase of 4%, the total annual dues over the life of the Animal Kingdom Lodge contract in your example is $90,197.24. This brings the total contract cost (cell L2 in your spreadsheet) to $165,290.80. To give a little more context, the annual dues at year 10 will be $1,938.98, year 20 will be $2,870.16 and $4,779.03 in the final year (33) of the contract.

[@KarenBee]

Hey John - I understand your point here, my reason for not showing the annual dues increasing over time is that I'm trying to compare like with like. To include price inflation I would need to do so across the board (i.e. for any comparatives I use like renting DVC) which is something I don't have the data for. I'm preparing an updated cost video for DVC alone and will bring in the increasing annual dues (using historic increases by resort as a basis for the future increases). I have no motive to encourage people to join DVC in fact I repeatedly emphasise it's not for everyone and it's a massive financial commitment.

[@a-totally-random-person]

Absolutely not!

[@pauly5502]

Why in the world would you limit your vacation to Disney every year for the next 20+ years..Basically no benefits outside of staying at different hotels, big whoop.

[@Chili327]

Why would you waste your time posting that? 😂

[@bruceeigsti5274]

Never

[@MISSLEONAJB]

Hey Karen 🤗 even thought I already bit the bullet and bought into DVC (200 pts at Riviera) I still found this video really interesting. I really want to understand renting more because even though I have points, there still might be occasions where I want to go in-between using my points and I think renting would be a good option so I need to research that a bit more. I did use your spreadsheet when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do re buying into DVC, so thank you for sharing that 😊🩷 xxx

[@CoachTomStruble]

Here’s a hack from a teacher for your Google Doc. In the url change where it says either “view” or “edit” to “copy”. When people click the link it’ll then auto prompt then do make a copy. No more privilege request emails for you to deal with.