Financing through Disney? 1st time buyers

[2point]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

I don’t get dvc at all. Don’t understand what it’s all about and point and whatever but it seems really expensive

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Cost and value are something very different.

It's a luxury product, when compared like for like it MAY work out for the individual.
We worked it out and for the type of holiday we want it provides value. It's not cheap, we don't save money by going DVC based on our previous visits.

You really need to work out your fixed and variable costs when you holiday in Florida and make a judgement call on the value of being onsite.

Comparison example booking direct with WDTC - Sept 2019 - Animal Kingdom - 2 adults - £4900 with 'free dining'

Rent points for AKV = 204 points = $3264 @ $16 a point ( £2500 at 1.30 to the £). $75 * 2 * 14 = $2250 (£1730) = total £4230 so £670 cheaper than direct.

Buying those points costs about $20k, valid for 39 years. Simplistic figures per year are capital costs ($20k / 39) $512 + dues $1400 = total $1912(£1470). Add dining at $75 * 2 * 14 = $2250 (£1730) = total £3200 so £1700 cheaper than direct.

Offsite I could book a 3 bed condo for $800 and eat the same meals as the dining plan for about $2000. Total $2800 + $400 car + $320 parking = $3520 (£2700) - 'saving' £2200 on the onsite price. If you are comparing this type of experience then DVC is probably not for you. In pure $ terms this type of holiday provides excellent value for money.

[2point]

The 2042 expiry contracts are still in demand. Given this is a 2057 one you could visit for 15 years on that example (with variation for dues increases and direct pricing increases) and still sell for at least what you bought it for.

[YorkshireT]

Originally Posted by vampiress88

I don’t get dvc at all. Don’t understand what it’s all about and point and whatever but it seems really expensive

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It's an expensive luxury product, but a good one.

You won't save money, you'll spend more, as you'll go to Disney more, and maybe stay better places but you'll likely save compared to buying the same rooms cash.

However, the value is starting to get more strained with ever increasing buy in costs and the exchange rate doesn't help.

It is only any good if you like to stay in Disney deluxe accommodation.

If you do, and will go regularly (really once every other year) and can afford to buy without finance, it can be a very good deal.


Many on here, including myself bought points which have gone up in value around 50% in the last few years. There is no issue selling.

So leaving aside the initial buy in, assuming I will eventually get back what I bought it for, then the cost is the time cost of that money (and it's appreciated so much I've beaten out most other investment at this time, but I don't assume I will always be so lucky, never buy DVC as an investment) and the dues cost.

These figures are off the top of my head but are reasonable estimates without sitting down and working out exact figures, which I have done before but don't have to hand.

So I was in a standard 2 bed villa at Boardwalk this year for something like £170 a night dues cost.

You'll pay Disney around £1000 a night for that villa.

This is where the value comes in. Of course you could rent the points at less but even that would cost around £400 a night.

I'll give you an example. I bought a contract 2 years ago resale for $75 a point with the previous year's points banked.

I immediately rented those and brought the price down to $62 a point. So that contract cost me about £10k.

I then went and stayed in WDW for 10 nights on that contract, in the 2 bed BWV for 5 nights and AKL 1 bed for 5 nights. Cheapest I could have paid for this would have been around 4- £5k.

Also I'd paid about $900 in dues this year, so I've paid out say £11k. Of which I've received around 4k minimum value (those 1 and 2 beds at places like BW are extremely expensive). Value is of course relative- are these rooms really worth this much? Answer is yes because someone is paying it, albeit I'd never spend that myself. This is why to some extent calling it a saving is a little artificial. Reality is if I didn't have DVC I may be in a studio at Port Orleans on free dining. But I wouldn't be as happy.

So now I've had 1 holiday. I could this moment book another for February for the same value. I'd pay another circa $900 in dues but again get around a 4-5k value.

So for example if I wanted to stay in a 1 bed at VGF next summer for 5 nights. That would cost me 239 points. So the dues cost at $6 a point would be £1100 at current exchange rate. Not bad, £220 a night for a 1 bed at VGF. I can book the exact same days today via Disney in the same room at £4100 (yes it's over £800 a night). I get free dining with that though so for 4 that's worth £1000. So. 'saving' is £2000 on just 5 nights. In reality I'll spend £600 on food so my 5 nights in VGF 1 bed with food costs me around £1700. The unaffordable becomes the semi affordable.

After taking that holiday I could immediately sell that contract for $98 a point. This would net me, after fees etc, around a 30% profit.

Which would mean I was paid to stay twice in WDW in luxury 1 and 2 bed accommodation.

Alternatively I continue to use it and in not many more trips, the room value exceeds the buy in (4 similar trips in total). Then I'm getting studios at around £80 a night and 1 beds around £160 a night-time until 2054.

Alternatively I can rent those points until 2054 at a profit after dues of around $6 a point.

However the maths don't work out quite as well now, particularly if buying direct.

DVC also opens up possibilities. For example we suddenly thought we might go for a week next Xmas 2019. I can use my DVC points (also have direct contracts and am buying another) and I know it won't cost me a fortune in accommodation.

Where it makes much less sense is borrowing at 10% like OP suggested. 12k for interest over ten years or 30 odd k in interest for 25 years makes the sums difficult to justify.

[YorkshireT]

Another example, just booked those flights I was mulling over for Xmas 2019. Looking at one beds over this period, via the Disney site, minimum seems to be about £1000- £1500 a night (yes a night, no free dining). This is going to cost me in dues about £200 a night. I should 'save' around £8k+. Again this is not really a saving as I would never have paid it, but DVC makes going at Xmas and stopping in a deluxe 1 bed do able.

[Diesel_Staffie]

Wow thank you for all your detailed replies. I think I totally got it all wrong when working out the costs 🙈 it doesn’t work out for us then, we are happy to stay in all stars and buy the dining plan and this still would work out cheaper for us. Back to the drawing board 🤔