Our DVC Story :: How We Bought (and Then Cancelled!) Our Disney Vacation Club Membership!

[@mickeysmyspiritanimal223]

I was a Direct member for 24 hours! 😜 I crunched the numbers, and it did not work out for me either as I would have needed to take out a loan 💸 and that is with the current incentives! My purchase and cancellation was this week in July 2022! 😇🤔😉

[@scottr2706]

Timeshare selling 101: Hit em high, then lower slowly. Hit em with special deal only available immediately. Hit em with booze. Hit em with noise. Hit em, hit em, hit em.

[@rainbowdash5020]

I love our dvc after 10 years have never regretted it.

[@williamoleary9330]

Those “benefits” you spoke about can’t make the smallest ding on an aircraft carrier. Just finding this video 5 years after you uploaded it and hopefully somehow, someway you became blessed with a child. It took our one set of friends 5 years and another set 7 years!! to finally have a child. Ok, back to the video:)

[@miida3412]

DVC is not for everyone. But it is the best money I have ever spent. We have created so many family memories.

[@nikkiwalker9727]

We are DVC members and we absolutely love it. The membership does work for us. We would not have gone on some many vacations to Disney or on cruises without it. It has saved us so much money in the long run. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@paulgray8075]

We've been DVC Members since 2010 and well worth for us. We live in Dallas, TX so it is worth for us because there are several direct flights to where Disney hotels. Glad we bought in at that time because we have paid off our membership and only pay annual dues. Pretty much travel to Disney once a week every month. Totally love DVC.

[@workshard4mk361]

We love it too. Can not wait to go back when we feel it is safer. We have taken extended family several times.

[@Hummels_83]

I also live in Dallas near Frisco area. The wife and I are thinking of getting DVC and would probably put down 30-50 percent down and then pay the rest in 10 years or less.

[@arthurcgans8198]

We bought in in 1995 and have loved it since. Just got back from a 2 week stay as a retirement present to myself. First time ever without kids or grandkids and absolutely loved it. Multiple cruises, Tokyo, Paris, California, but mostly Florida. Sent both daughters on honeymoons, one cruise and one Hawaii. It has absolutely worked for us.

[@davidlopez5829]

I purchased into the DVC in the 90's. It was one of the best purchases I have made. My friends made fun of me until I took them on trip. I have have bought 5 cars in trucks since I have purchased and had countless vacation to DW. DVC has the best customer service. My drive license expired the month I fly down to Florida so, I could not rent a car to go to Vero Beach. They cancelled my reservation and find me a one bedroom at Old Key West. 2nd Story was that I just got divorced and couldn't afford to take a vacation to DW and I had to use my point because I already banked them and they were going to expire. So I called DVC the cast member suggested a Disney Cruise. I asked how much out of pocket would I need to spend. It was $95. So, then I asked how much for the meal plan......She said it was included. So my son and I fly out of Kansas City for $200 each (round trip) and jumped on Disney Cruise Line bus and did a 7 night and 8 day cruise for just the transfer fee. We didn't get off the ship because I could not afford port adventures but he loved all the activities that he did and didn't miss the port stops at all. So, I feel that it has been one of the best purchases I have made, because I would not have taken the vacation I have without DVC. Going to Alaska for the second time. Next the Med Cruise.

[@jaysantos536]

DVC is the biggest ripoff timeshare ever.

[@whiskywillie]

I've been a member since 2008 and love it.......never had an issue and the cruises are simply the best!

[@dvance600]

Yup, DVC member here. Been a member since 2011. My husband and I just bought another contract so we now have 210 points a year at AKL, and have been on at least 6 vacations with DVC including our 1st Trip to DL! We love it! And already have the next 2 booked and a 3rd on planned with a cruise in the middle! Lol

[@LeggLife]

Glad it's working out for you!

[@KandJDaybyDay]

We’ve looked at DVC several times and have never bought in. Your experience is the reason we’ve never done it. We also occasionally like to take trips to places other than Disney. Thank you for sharing this.

[@LeggLife]

Kati and Jordan Sounds like we’re in the same boat with DVC!

[@MissLauraSquared]

I also like to travel to places other than Disney, too.

[@KandJDaybyDay]

MissLauraSquared we absolutely love going on Disney vacations and we go all of the time. We just worry that a DVC membership would make it feel like that was our only option for a vacation.

[@KandJDaybyDay]

LeggLife hopefully we’ll be on the same boat next October! 🤞🏼

[@MissLauraSquared]

Agreed.

[@kcusa1973]

DVC Rental Store- Two thumbs up! A great way to stay at a Disney resort.

[@gregamerica9067]

We have been DVC members for about 10 years. Works great if your willing to plan your trip 7 to 11 months in advance. Your research was correct, a couple months out, most rooms are booked, plus there are atomatic waiting lists, so if somthing comes avalible it flows into the waiting list. My wife is a Ninja DVC vacation planner and plans really greats trips for us using DVC.

[@brittanykoehn8165]

We’ve looked into DVC several times and even did the presentation during one of our WDW trips. Would love to be members, but the numbers just don’t work for us. We have rented points for our stays three times with another 4th time coming up in November. I highly recommend renting points!

[@Mike-mn9xo]

My wife always rents points and it works great without being locked into a 30 yr agreement

[@allisonwells1494]

I'm so sorry DVC wasn't a good fit for y'all. We have been members since 1999 and have never had trouble booking a room.

[@user-td8bz4qp3g]

Hi guys DVC member here from the UK we are probably the opposite of your good selfs 😂 We brought DVC in 2017 resale at Saratoga Springs at $85 per point. My biggest problem with it is you can only plain 11 mouths out! Here in the UK we plan Walt Disney World trips 18 months 2 years out due to the costed Great to hear a different viewpoint 👍 remember there’s no wrong way to do Disney. Stay Safe

[@LeggLife]

Ahhh, because of how far out you plan vacation that makes total sense! Thanks so much for watching and for your comment :)

[@nycp1969]

A very fair and nuanced analysis. It doesn't work out for everyone's life and lifestyle. I'm in the process of getting a membership and I'm actually surprised it took me so long to think about it. It's perfect for me. I have scheduled and generous vacations (I am a teacher,) I live part time in Florida and I go to WDW yearly and could conceivably go more often. I am retiring in nine years and will have even more flexibility. Good luck to you. Life changes and the DVC pixie dust could very well blow your way.

[@jamesnewbill7526]

We have been members since they started the concept. Love it. We got so many benefits that are not available today. Sorry it didn’t work out. Now we enjoy taking our grandkids with us. We do more cruises now which is not the best use of the points but we love cruising.

[@LeggLife]

Sounds like you’re really benefiting from getting in so early! We love that!

[@jamesnewbill7526]

LeggLife For 7years we had length of stay passes to parks.😄

[@brittanyneubauer9855]

We are DVC members as of March 2019! I did all the research after the fact too, and was tempted to cancel because of the numbers, but we went for it!! My husband is taking our daughter on a WDW trip in October and using the points for the first time staying at the Polynesian. I am super jealous but they’re looking forward to it!! Bummer it didn’t work out for you two, I think it will end up being a good investment for us. Luckily airfare from Seattle is probably less expensive than Alaska. Also, Go Hawks & M’s!

[@LeggLife]

Go Hawks and M's indeed!!

[@brittanyneubauer9855]

LeggLife We just started watching your channel after I found you searching for videos about the Disney Wonder! I had my husband watch a video and he said he liked you already when he saw your hats in your intro! 😆 We have been binge watching ever since. We go on a 7 night Mexican Riviera Disney Cruise in April 2020, we are so excited for our first cruise!!!

[@LifeinYellowknife]

Hello almost neighbours! ha! So glad I stumbled upon your channel! I love all things Disney! Especially with travelling from the north! I've been curious about DVC for a while so this was great to know! Thanks for your perspective!

[@StampinByDiane]

I would love to be a DVC member someday I think it would really work and my lifestyle and vacation style. One thing I can say for Disney vacation club is that they do not high pressure sales like some of the timeshare meetings I’ve been to before. I really appreciated that

[@LeggLife]

Diane McCornack Yes, completely agree with that! The sales people were really great, and even when I called to cancel they didn’t try and pressure me to stay.

[@kickayla]

I have always considered DVC.. My husband and I talk about joining all the time! We just need to get some student loan and car debt under control. MAYBE in 5 years we will try it out! Love the videos

[@LeggLife]

Getting rid of debt before adding more is the smart approach, good job!!

[@RockSimmer-gal4God]

We travel often and aren’t always flexible wiv things each person in our group is doing. My sister has a tutor so can have time off whenever tho. So it may not work but my stepdad bought into it on a cruise and loved it and kept it. We use the points I believe as he likes to help us get the best deal for Disney and I let him even if he doesn’t want a break from my mum.

[@roadtrekralph311]

Thank you for making and posting this video. I was on the fence recently but after watching your video I am leaning more towards not buying into DVC. I go to WDW every year and every time I call the Disney Resort reservation line, I have always been helped and room availability is never a problem. Why is this? Well, because I am a paying customer. Once I become a DVC member I fear this awesome customer service will be replaced with "sorry, that room is not available" simply because they already have my money tied up in a 50 year contract. Another reason DVC may not work for us is, we don't go to WDW to spend all our time in the resort. We sleep in the room and that's about it. I don't need to cook meals in the kitchen, I'm definitely not on vacation to do laundry or house cleaning. I have all that at home. DVC is not for everyone, but it does work for many people. People who like to stay in the more expensive Disney Resorts and stay often; this may work for them. But there are over 26 Walt Disney World Resorts on the WDW property and for those of us who like to stay at the budget resorts like Pop Century and Arts of Animation, there is usually plenty of availability. I have yet to do the numbers but from what I pay for a weeks stay at a WDW budget resort every year, I doubt its any more than it would cost to pay the maintenance fees, resort fee, property tax, etc each year. And that's considering the DVC is paid in full. Great video, good information, and thanks again

[@janicelynnhansen5870]

On our cruise, just attending the DVC presentation also got you a $50 (I think? Maybeeee 100?) onboard credit just for going to the meeting. Like you, I looked at the pretty pictures and the slick brochure - but ultimately the numbers didn't add up. I like to bargain shop my vacations anyway, so I feel like I typically get great deals every time I travel instead of having to worry about points.

[@LeggLife]

Janice Lynn Hansen Yes, we always bargain shop our lodging when we travel as well.

[@MagicalWorldofRachel]

My husband and I actually won the $200 obc too on our last cruise! Along with Copper Creek pins :) Like you we heavily considered it so we chatted with someone to figure out the details after the presentation. For us, right now it just doesn’t make sense money wise but we’re definitely open to it in the future when/if it does make sense! Thanks for sharing your story, always love all your videos!

[@LeggLife]

Sounds like we're in similar situations! We would look at it again for sure, especially if they added another west coast / Disneyland / Hawaii resort.

[@joanneodonnell8420]

I loved this post. I thought I was going to hate it...but you are right...it doesn't work for everyone. It works great for us because we go annually and we spend 7-8 days and only go into the park a day or 2 and we spend the rest of the time at Saratoga Springs pools or take a boat ride or walk over to Disney Springs. :)

[@medivarhadis]

We got into DVC a few years ago, and yeah you definitely need to plan its pretty hard to get anything longer than a few days on shorter notice. We plan our trips out 11 months ahead. But we loved our first time around with DVC so much that we purchased a second contract.

[@kerispiroff8469]

Just my two cents..... if you can afford to go on Disney cruises you can definitely afford to stay on property at WDW. Just just stay at one of the values... my faves are All Star Movies and Pop since they’ve been redone. And if you’re a annual pass holder it’s even cheaper! Try it. Also, if you book something and the price changes (call every so often to check) they will change it for you.

[@pbcbbc]

I was also hesitant in signing up for DVC. Don't care for timeshares at all! That said I am a proud DVC member!! It turned out to be an incredible purchase. We have never had a problem using points, rather we feel we don't have enough! The extras also won us over. It certainly isn't for everyone but has worked out for us.

[@nicksayer4794]

Members since 2015...we love ours but it does become tricky to book out so many months in advance. Even our home resort at the Polynesian books up before the 7month mark comes where anyone can book. We were able to snag Animal Kingdom Lodge in January so looking forward to the animals right out our door. Hope it can work out for you in the future, otherwise, you guys are doing it the right way!

[@LeggLife]

Love hearing that DVC is working well for you! Polynesian was our home resort as well... for 5 days. Ha!

[@suechun8871]

We tried DVC all over the world...it has been great for us.

[@am2345M.]

I'm sorry that DVC didn't work out for you guys, we just came back from our first DVC experience at Animal Kingdom Lodge, although our actual DVC home is Copper Creek. It was amazing, you do have to book right when that window opens but for the most part it works out for us. If you're good planners it'll work out and I'm glad they're joined up with RCI so we can use it pretty much anywhere. If you guys decide to join back up, well Welcome Home.

[@LeggLife]

Glad you got to experience your first DCL trip! If we lived somewhere that airfare wasn't such a big factor we may look at it again.

[@meghanlynch5195]

We use Priceline to book Disney hotels. But...we live in Florida and can wait until the week before to book and it is much cheaper that way. Maybe just try researching it. You can get the hotels for a good price if it isn’t a busy time of year.

[@AdamandBethan]

Every single member of my family is a DVC member! It works so well for us as we always have to plan vacations a year in advance. We went to the DVC presentation on our honeymoon and quickly realised we weren’t in that stage of our lives yet that we could afford it, BUT just for attending they did give us 3 free fast passes each, $300 gift card AND FREE ICE CREAMS (can you tell which we were most excited about 😂)

[@LeggLife]

We would have gladly traded our free DVC bag for some free ice cream!

[@LeggLife]

Oh a side note, since all of your family is already DVC members, any chance you have any family members who are interested in adopting a couple of people in their 30's who live in Alaska? Asking for a friend....

[@AngiBelle1]

I've always been curious about DVC, but my husband is adamantly against timeshares, so we've never done it. We are annual pass holders at Disneyland and go quite often considering we live in the northern part of the state! We actually just booked a last minute trip for mid July.

[@LeggLife]

Ooooh, we hope you have an amazing time on your last minute DL trip!

[@vintagecologneman481]

Been DVC member since 1999 and its been awesome.

[@LeggLife]

I’m so glad it’s worked out for you!!

[@MissJessiCherry]

Loved this video! I'm a numbers guy too, so I made this GIANT spreadsheet this spring when we returned from Tokyo, because I was convinced we NEEDED to be DVC members. For Jesse and I it would take 35 years to break even (to buy into Riviera Resort), and we just couldn't commit with that type of break even point.We decided against it, but for some reason I still get DVC FOMO!!!! It's horrible! Maybe it's because we'll never stay at Deluxe resorts, because we cannot afford them. I'm glad you did what was right for you two! At least you got a great bag out of the deal! LOL!

[@LeggLife]

Oh my goodness, #DVCFOMO is SUCH a real thing!

[@justsayin7314]

35 years! That makes the decision easy. That’s not a very good deal to say the least.

[@WingsandWheelsAlaska]

Great information in your video! Always tough traveling as an Alaskan. Thank you for sharing!

[@LeggLife]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching :)

[@MissLauraSquared]

Just went to the DVC presentation on my recent cruise. Went and talked to the sales guy (got $25 on board credit just for meeting with him), but didn’t buy in. Honestly, I only wanted to find out if the new Star Wars resort would have DVC rooms. (Which he said they wouldn’t.) It also just isn’t the right fit for my husband and me. We are fine with staying off property and save SO MUCH MONEY that way. I told the sales guy this and I could tell he was pretty appalled that I was happy staying off property. I think for people who want that Deluxe resort experience, DVC can be great, but for people like my husband and myself, it’s not the best option.

[@MissLauraSquared]

Also, forgot to mention, I think some of their sales tactics are a little unethical, too. When I explained to that guy that I didn’t want to commit to a contract because you never know what’s going to happen in life, like unexpected medical expenses, he basically told me that I shouldn’t worry about anything like that. He said that I just needed to buy because I would still want to go on vacation even if other expenses came up. He never asked me about my job/income as to whether or not it’s something I could actually afford. I found it slightly offensive... he didn’t try to learn anything about me in that regard, just wanted me to buy in.

[@LeggLife]

Yup, 100% agree! If you already travel and stay at the deluxe resorts, and if that's what you want, it can be a good fit. But, we sure like saving money :)

[@SCHVIN1]

Your doing the right thing staying off properly. We stopped staying at Disney resorts 10 years ago. It's simply not worth the money.

[@shellyh631]

We have almost bought in a few times but never worked out. I go to WDW at least 3 times a yea & was an Annual Pass Holder for about 2 years. My daughter now is a Castmember & we just used the $$ into purchasing a 3 bedroom condo that my daughter lives in. So I think we stayed on property about 4 times in the past 20 years. My daughter gats a Castmember Discount & 16 passes to the parks a year.

[@ohplezz]

DVC is good for retired people who don't have significant time restraints. It doesn't work for people with demanding professions who cannot plan their vacations 11 months out.

[@musketeermefranks9335]

I've been to a Disney park (will be going on a Disney Cruise) approx. every 20 years, so I don't think DVC would work for us, but hey, for the bag and pins and such, SURE I'll sign up for a few days! :)

[@LeggLife]

Haha! Free bags and pins!!

[@emilyworden4240]

We literally did the exact same thing in February 2018!! We were members for three days. We did some trip researching and budgeting once we had good internet and decided to cancel

[@LeggLife]

Emily Worden 3 days?! Dang it! You beat us! Haha!

[@WallyTony]

The second I heard you have to pay closing costs, I knew it was a scam. LOL paying property taxes for a billion dollar corporation.

[@baby281983]

Me and my sister are taking my two nephews to Disney World for the first time next summer. June 2020. I am so excited. Have you guys been to the Be Our Guest restaurant?

[@LeggLife]

We have, and we love it! We’ve only been for lunch and it was a great experience. Inside is beautiful!

[@baby281983]

@@LeggLife I am a Beauty and The Beast fan so I am really looking forward to it. It looks so beautiful.

[@Chocokaylarobin]

Its difficult for us because we have a family of 6 and we wanna take our cousins as well and the villa we wanted was perfect however you need points so we're trying to get something without doing ANOTHER timeshare.

[@kaiulaninamahoe2612]

So at the end of the day, what you really did was sign up JUST for the FREE bag hahahahahahahahaha love it! My family and i couldn't do DVC either.. renting seems more our way to go.. Hawai'i is expensive too .. we need to watch for special for all our trips..

[@indyburns]

WE have been member since 2001 and love it!! We can get non stop flight from Indiana to Orlando. So I guess you need to move back to Indiana. Love your volgs!!! Maybe some day we can say welcome home Adam and Sherri!!

[@LeggLife]

HaHa! Don't think we'll ever move to Indiana, so I guess we'll try and rent point :)

[@justsayin7314]

Having to plan a vacation a year in advance seems like a huge hassle to constantly deal with.

[@thejokerspeaks]

Not a Disney fan, but I find timeshares interesting. The same with some of the major hotel chains, I believe this is smoke and mirrors. You have owners paying $350 a night with maintenance dues, believing they're taking Disney to the cleaners from the public price, a resort mostly packed full owners. A few rooms go to non-owners to tickle everyone's ego on the savings. Only if you genuinely having a history of paying $600 a night, and have no plans to stop, but even then I would pick one up on the resale.

[@olafpamela]

We are DVC Members do since 1998 and LOVE IT! I understand why this does not work for some people. It would be amazing if sometime you could be able to rent some points for a stay. Thanks for sharing

[@shawnasturch9800]

We were going to join dvc but once we saw the price and did the numbers on our first cruise it just didn't fit in to our life's ! We too are childless big Disney fans so we thought maybe but nope

[@LeggLife]

Yeah, seems that's the conclusion that a lot have come to. Maybe someday, but we'll see!

[@nalowaiian]

We went to a DVC presentation and crunched numbers and looked through our calendars as well...same outcome, DVC would not work for us also. Kinda bummed about it, but not as bummed as I would've been had I actually went all in.

[@Blastfence1]

Excellent!

[@DocsGreetingCards]

I almost bought into DVC 5 years ago and I'm very glad I didn't. .

[@heatherbellman7699]

Thanks for your perspective. I've looked into DVC before because, let's face it, who doesn't want to spend more time with Mickey? It didn't make financial sense for me either. It sounds great though. Maybe I'll take a look at it again in a few years.

[@LeggLife]

Yes, we'll keep looking at it as well. Especially if they open another California or Hawaii property.

[@live2travel301]

Glad you posted, great info :) I’ll be looking into bookings too, and if I can’t get rooms then it’s no point in buying DVC.

[@LeggLife]

Mommy Of5 Yes, definitely do your research and see if it fits with your travel routines.

[@jackpast]

Your sales guide should have emphasized the fact that people who plan their vacations 1 year out or further maximize the use of DVC. With an 11 month window on booking your home resort, you should always get the room you want. Christmas and Easter week may be different, but the way you describe yourselves should have been a no brainer for not buying DVC. We always rent a 1 or 2 bedroom villa and for the $ and maintenance fees, unless you don’t vacation at WDW, those rooms would cost a lot more just paying cash or renting points. Just looked up renting points in Nov. at Saratoga Springs for a 7 day trip in a 1 bedroom. Total points were 161 and rental price was $19/pt. or $3059. With my annual dues of $1000 and my cost of $12000 for my DVC contract, we go down 2 out of every 3 years. So if we went down 15 times in 20 years we would spend $12000 for the contract plus $20000 in annual dues for a total of $32000. Renting points would have cost us $45,000 and that’s not taking in the fact that the cost per rental point will only go up over the years. So if you know you’re going to go to WDW frequently, DVC does save. If you mix up your vacations and only visit once in a while, rental is the way to go. Just plan your trip out well before your 11 month window opens and grab it the first day. Oh and one more huge fact: I will probably be selling my DVC on the same website I bought it through in 2012. Only now I’ll get around $15,000 for it...so deduct that from all my usage! Can’t do that with a lot of other ‘timeshares.’

[@piperhansen2519]

We’re DVC members and love it! We look at it as pre-paying our vacations. We talked to a lot of members before buying and not one person said that they regretted it. Our October cruise is with our DVC points. The best part is that it can be passed down to the kids.

[@LeggLife]

Sounds like it's working out well for you!

[@Gwenivyre]

We kind of had the same issues. Also living in WA, we would want to buy in CA and not FL and until they open another DVC resort there we probably won't buy resale at the Grand Californian.

[@LeggLife]

Yup, exactly. We would have been much more interested in CA or Hawaii because we can fly direct to both of those locations

[@kellybrentmoody9744]

we live in Florida and have thought about buying into DVC, however, like you, we book according to seasons/travel deals and such, and we determined that it would not work for us either.

[@suebrown5252]

Thank you for making this video I have thought about getting this and it was just not feasible

[@LeggLife]

Yes, unfortunately for many it just doesn't make sense.

[@irishinusa1615]

Agree with you both. We looked into as well. 👍

[@LeggLife]

Sounds like many of us are in the same boat.

[@irishinusa1615]

@@LeggLife sadly yes. Like you both, we would love, just not workable. Have a wonderful weekend 👍😁

[@liztruelove1786]

I did scroll through to see if you got this question a million times... So sorry if you did. But how many points and at what resort did you buy into? Just wondering. Love everything you do!

[@LeggLife]

We bought into the Polynesian and I don't remember exactly, but it seems like we were in at 150 points.

[@stefaniekovary8807]

We been dvc since2000 it best thing I bought

[@bonnie3994]

I agree we had time share but we cancelled for same reason👍

[@LeggLife]

Yeah, they work for some, but definitely not for all.

[@workshard4mk361]

Although we love it and it works well for us, I totally understand that it may not suit everyone's needs. 🎊🎉

[@PudPop1980]

What was your sales pitch class/session like? Super high pressure

[@LeggLife]

No, actually it wasn’t high pressure at all! We were very impressed by that.

[@PudPop1980]

@@LeggLife Thank you!! We want to buy DVC but have been putty it off because pf our concerns regarding high pressure sales

[@ariellacox9881]

My family is not DVC members because right now the numbers just don’t fit our budget and I alway try to book our trips when Disney releases a discount or something but we are renting points for 4 nights 2 before and 2 after our 4 night cruise 9 of us will be staying in the 2bedroom villa at boulder ridge and kidani village and I have a feeling after renting points and my husband getting a taste of deluxe resorts we will never not be able to rent again but I hope to some day buy in we are still a very young family 26, 25 3yo 6mo

[@LeggLife]

We hope you have a great experience renting points! That's such a great way to experience DVC quality for a more affordable rate!

[@shannanshaaban403]

Could you have made it work if you lived in Florida?

[@jamiekoserarena7729]

We have been members since 2011 and LOVE it! We bought in before we had our two kids so we had a few trips in before our first came along in 2016. In that time, we've added on points twice. My husband and I run our family business so this is a great way for us to travel because it forces us to plan vacations. We always book around our 11 month home resort window and then switch resorts if we want to at the 7 month window. I will say availability is getting challenging during some portions of the year so booking early is key these days especially with those studios (though Riviera is supposed to have a whole tower of studios from what I understand which are perfect for those couples trips or mom/dad trips). Our membership has been great for us and in many ways started saving money for us right away between the annual pass discounts (we can buy Gold Passes which are typically only available to Florida residents which we are not), dining discounts, the few member events we've been to, etc. We've never looked back and recommend it to people all the time as long as it works for them!

[@tsteur]

DVC is one of my goals!

[@LeggLife]

We totally understand that!

[@ThatgirlL18]

We have considered DVC, but financially for us, it’s just not realistic. My husband does prefer DCL to the parks anyway, and yes you can use your points for it, but that’s a terrible use of points... and yes you can rent them and use the cash, but we would still have to pay dues... so 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️, for us, right now, it’s not the right time. Like you we don’t have children of our own, and love to spoil our niece and nephew. Maybe one day. 😊😊

[@LeggLife]

Yup, sounds a lot like us :)

[@rchiariello]

My thoughts on DVC are the same as the dining plan. You are simply paying for convenience. It is almost never a good deal.

[@justsayin7314]

If you consider booking a year in advance convenient.

[@lalter1988]

Cuz dvc is made to be booked out 7-11 months out

[@DoctorBella]

Good thing y’all decided to cancel because Covid would have really messed y’all up. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@karenkurby]

We’ve been members since 2007 and never had a problem getting dates. Even this past Christmas we booked a 2 bedroom at animal kingdom from December 19 to Jan 2. It’s so odd that you couldn’t find one date with any size room availability.

[@LeggLife]

How far out do you normally book? When we travel it's typically 1 - 3 months in advance and we have specific dates because of airfare. Just yesterday we were looking for dates at Aulani or Grand Californian in September and neither of them had availability

[@karenkurby]

We own AL so book 11 months out but often change resorts at 6-7 months out. You’ll almost never get California so I hear because it’s so small and Hawaii goes quickly but have had people tell me they have had no problems at 6-7 mi the out but maybe not later. You’re right if you can only book 3 months out it might not be right for you. But just a quick look for 1 week at SSR in September you can get a 1bdrm for 194 points.

[@thejusticejen]

See so DVC was profitable for you guys after all! $200 plus a nice bag 😬

[@LeggLife]

Ha! That’s true! Cancelling DVC actually really worked out for us 😂😂😂

[@SingerFamilyAdventures]

LOL, I am not DVC, seriously considered it about 8 years ago (at a moment in my life when I had more money over all than now)... but didn't take the bait. Was thinking about it just today, since the past year or two I have gone way deeper into Disney appreciation than before. And sort of regretting I didn't do it then and didn't just pay a huge chunk up front... but not doing it now. In terms of what you said about legacy.... the truth is it SEEMS like DVC is an easier way to create a legacy type trip because bringing family or friends "feels" free since you are paying for the points either way... but you are paying for the points either way, so you can CHOOSE when to invite family even without DVC.

[@LeggLife]

That's a very good point about it seeming like it's easier to create those legacy type trips, but you're paying for it either way.

[@issyaddams8297]

You guys act so much like me and my boyfriend, it's crazy 😂

[@LeggLife]

Hahaha!

[@cowboylatte]

I think this is a really fair perspective. (And I love the idea of leaving it to my nieces and nephew. ) I think checking availability is my biggest fear of taking the plunge. I am in Atlanta and granted a super quick flight or reasonable drive away. But not knowing how feasible it would be to take a last minute trip is just such a risk.

[@kellymitchell6365]

I’ve thought about it

[@LeggLife]

Yeah, we have too. Maybe someday!

[@sharonevers1077]

I do want to be a DVC member I just can’t justify it. Maybe someday.

[@LeggLife]

Sharon Evers Yup, we completely understand that!

[@jaysantos536]

Your niece and nephew DO NOT want to get STUCK with your timeshare.

[@geofferypmeyers]

DVC is great for people who: - Stay at a deluxe or moderate resorts (not value) - plan a year out for trips - don’t travel last-minute - go to Disney world every year - are very numbers oriented

[@bonsaikiss]

You were smart to cancel