I went to Disney World one time as a child. I was 8 years old. It was the best week. I watched tinker bell fly during the firework show and vowed to myself in that moment that when I was older and had a family of my own, I would find a way to take my family to Disney world every year. My husband and I welcomed our first child this past December and, after years of saving, became Disney Vacation Club Members at the Polynesian resort. Our family will be ‘welcomed home’ for the first time this December for our Daughter’s first birthday. ❤ Dreams come true if you work for them and believe!
(wiping tears away ;) - what an amazing story! This trip in December will be SO magical - esp knowing you'll be coming back & back again for decades to come as your daughter grows up - thank you so much for tuning in and sharing!
We purchased when my son was 3 and he is now 25. My husband passed away 7 years into the membership. Those 7 years of memories are worth every penny we spent and still spend on DVC. We were taking 2 or 3 trips a year at least at the time and I know a lot of the memories as well as photos my son has with his dad are from Disney. Best decision ever. And we also have a pile of arcade cards and still go to the arcades every trip.
Nothing better than the arcade cards (esp the ones you forget you have and see that there's more money left on them ;) - thank you so much for tuning in!
What made me make the jump was the look on my wife's face when we went back to WDW for our 25th wedding anniversary last year. It was the first time we had been back since our honeymoon in '97. After years of working it's time to relax and enjoy life!
We purchased DVC in 2015 after suddenly losing my mother-in-law. We had a trip planned, and while we were there, we purchased. We decided that life was too short and we needed to make memories as a family. My son was, I believe, 6 at the time. Like your son, DVC is really all he knows. We love not having to rush around, and we enjoy being at the resort.
Thank you for sharing and perfectly said! Knowing you are coming back lets you just ENJOY being on vacation without the need to feel to rush around to do everything :)
Our son is now that age and we just purchased (at Riviera)! We were already able to do a vacation at Aulani with the 2023 points, and it turns out that we loved it there so much (and since we're west coast based), we were able to SWITCH home resorts to Aulani (niche scenario, but if you have a contract that isn't yet closed, you can modify it!) Our kids loved that time with us (out of everything we did in Hawaii, character meet and greets were their favorite, go figure!), we are confident this decision is going to become one of our best blessings as a family!
Owen is an extremely personable, articulate young man, Derek! You and Annie can be so very proud of him 💗 Another amazing, magical show. Kerri deserves every magical moment for her special birthday celebration in the Poly Bungalows 🎂 I rented DVC points for several years thinking that with the direct DVC prices, there was no way I could afford buying 😢 Then I learned about the resale market and the rest, as they say, is history 😍
Our DVC tipping point happened after a couple of different DVC experiences. We started off with a surprise upgrade to a 1 bedroom at Saratoga Springs. We fell in love but could not afford the experience of buying direct. We latter discovered that you could try before you buy and booked a stay at the Polynesian. We had a fantastic time but a family of 5 stuffed into the studio room was not the best experience. Our hearts where sold when we booked our stay at Old Key West. I had just graduated with my Masters in Theology and to celebrate my wife booked this trip to get away. We loved every moment of our OKW DVC vacation. We waited and saved and when I was hired on as a bi-vocational pastor we started praying into the decision. Low and behold, the ROFR monster had fallen asleep and we were in the perfect position to buy in. We chose our beloved Old Key West and have been enjoying every vacation since. The price, the room and the location just stole our hearts.
WOW what a great story Shannon! Everything truly fell into place so perfectly and you can never go wrong with Old Key West and the huge rooms (and low points!)
The tipping point for me was staying in a theme park view room at the Poly through DVC rental store. We decided to try out the Grand Floridian and Polynesian before committing to DVC, and just walking into the room with the view of tue bungalows, the ferry and the castle was like nothing else! We can’t believe we get to call this place home and come back year after year! ❤
That is a PERFECT story and what it's all about! That knowing you'll be back is the best thing about it so each trip you can actually RELAX if you want :)
I wish my story was more exciting, my in-laws bought in back in the 90s. My future wife and I used to book under their points Everytime. After our daughter was born we stayed at Saratoga and decided to walk into the show center there with her to feel things out. She was treated like a true kid…got toys and snacks and had a blast while we had the talk and tour. We kind of always had in our mind we would keep it going for her, and we walked out owning copper creek. Which is still my favorite. A few years later we were thinking of buying a condo to rent by Epcot. At the last minute we strolled back into Saratoga and used our condo money to buy riviera! Your welcome panda;) Good thing we did because the pandemic hit that spring and we would have lost our shirts with an empty condo around Disney. Since we have merged accounts with our in-laws we have 9 contracts and two ad ons Derek helped with a year ago! Thanks guys.
I took the jump a few months after losing my mom. Lost my dad the year before. Shared some great memories of my mom at Disney and remember taking her to O'Hara for breakfast on one of our last trips and she said that she wished she could stay at the Polynesian some day. I looked into pricing back then and could never afford to stay there. After they passed I realized I really wanted to purchase DVC which was always a dream and that is when you just really feel like life is short and I wanted that experience for myself, my family and my kids and we purchased our home resort, of course, the Polynesian from DVC Resale Market. Couldn't be happier with my decision. Took our 3rd trip owning and it is just everything. Just wish I would have taken the plunge when my mom was still here so I could have made her dreams come true...but it is because of her and my dad that mine did. ✨
This past May was our 9th trip to Disney in the last 17 years. We were thinking this would be our last for a while and then when we returned home to Canada we realized who are we kidding, we had the best time with our kids aged 24 & 26! We wanted to build more memories with hopefully grand kids one day and took the plunge! We bought AK, our favourite resort through DVC Resale Market and just received the ROFR waiver this week. Now at the ages of 55 & 56, we are so excited we can’t wait to get the closure on the contract and start planning! Love your channel, we are learning so much!
"This is our last Disney trip for awhile" is a very common phrase ;) - only to find themselves back at Disney! What a great story and here's to decades of the most amazing vacations ever! Thank you for sharing!
When I realized we weren't going to be able to move to Florida, I said well, DVC is the next best thing. So I may not be a resident of Florida, but because of DVC, I am able to visit a whole lot more now.
Seeing a giraffe outside from my hotel balcony simply sealed the deal - I want to make sure I can experience that over and over again! So Animal Kingdom lodge became our first home resort within a week of returning from our trip ❤
It was several smaller moments over the course of a year that finally added up for me. I took my then 6 year old son to Aulani, and he said it was the most beautiful place he had ever visited and I began to look seriously at DVC. 10 months later, I took him to Walt Disney World for the first time and we had a very peaceful dinner at sunset one evening at Riviera. I snapped a photo of him as he sighed and said "Mom, this is the life. Thank you for working so hard to bring me here." It was the most magical trip. I was 90% of the way there at that point - I wanted to keep providing him these moments of joy and family connection. A month later, I needed to fly to FL for surgery as the #1 surgeons for my condition are in Tampa. I chose to recover over several nights at SSR. Unfortunately, the surgery was not successful. As I was processing my disappointment and fear of yet another surgery, I spent quite a bit of healing time on the balcony overlooking the grounds of SSR. I had a moment where it hit me. Life is way too short and goes by in a flash - don't waste another moment overthinking the finances or the "what ifs" about DVC (I had done all of that in spades!) The most important thing in the world to me is the memories with my family. I was in and had a BLT resale contract bought within a month and a Riv direct contract bought two months after that.
"Mom, this is the life. Thank you for working so hard to bring me here." - insert goosebumps here! What an amazing story, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us so perfectly!
The nudge for me was my 2nd trip to WDW last year. Unlike going to Disneyland (I'm a local), it always feels like an actual vacation and I love being in the bubble. I knew I wanted to go once a year, but I didn't want to be stuck in the All-Stars so I ran the numbers and took the plunge! I bought 150 direct for the member benefits, and 3 smaller OWK and BRV contracts from DVC Resale Market (one of those was from Derek!) and I couldn't be happier with my DVCision!
Nothing wrong with All Star of course but members as you know stay in deluxe for what non members pay to stay at Value/Moderate resorts so it just makes so much sense! CONGRATS (and thanks for choosing to let us help you with your add on!)
I'll start with the caveat that we are not yet members - we're still saving up after a huge home renovation that took priority. But our tipping point to deciding to join DVC was honestly a combination of the sticker shock of paying cash for a 1br villa at Bay Lake Tower to meet our needs as a family of 4 plus a guest to have the trip we wanted, AND looking forward to what we would love to do for our future vacations with our children. We're looking forward to joining as soon as it is financially responsible for us to do so!
It was just perfect timing for us. We realized that how often we stay on property and how frequently we visit it was time. We are already AP so it just made sense for us as the next step.
Bingo! Folks just need to say 'how many more trips am I going to RENT hotel rooms' - and that's when they say 'OH...why not just pay for those trips upfront - break even - and have the best trips ever AND save money!" - THANK YOU for tuning in!
Our DVC moment was when they showed us a CC cascade cabin and we thought omg we would be able to stay in this magnificent cabin someday. Granted it would take all our points and then some but the possibility still exists!
Right? Just knowing that as a member we COULD stay there! Kerri never thought she would ever have a bungalow even for 1 night - but membership allowed her to do that!
We were at Disney World for the 1st time, took a DVC tour (had an idea about DVC b/c of a friend, but didn't know much at all) and as soon as they mentioned Aulani as a future DVC property, we were sold. We've never been to Hawaii at this point and that was the nudge we needed! Present day we visit once a year, and we get to share DVC with our 5yr old.
We had rented DVC points for a few years and were completely spoiled by two bedroom villas. When it was the year of a milestone birthday, I had decided to splurge for an out of pocket stay in a two bedroom at Riviera. We then thought for that amount of money, we should really look into buying DVC. We did and we purchased our first contract! Have since added on and often think about more! We have loved our DVC stays with our kids and grandkids and always look forward to the next one. So fun!
What made our family ready to purchase was after our first trip to Disneyworld as a family and we stayed at the contemporary. I knew after we stayed there if we ever wanted to do more/frequent trips as a family we needed to find a way to do it. Went home and started researching and found out about resale DVC and it was a no brainer.
That's a great first trip to the Contemporary! Research is key and you joining shows how important that is - CONGRATS on your purchase and thanks for tuning in!
My wife and I had been on our honeymoon. During two separate rounds of golf we met two different couples who were members and talked about how much they loved DVC. Both provided the same quote of “we only wish we had joined sooner”. We met with a guide a day or two later, went over the program and bought 150 Points at Riviera a week or so after returning home. Like Derek it was an emotional choice with the goal of trying to grow a family and bringing our friends, parents, and siblings as well. Added on 120 points at Saratoga less than a year later and haven’t regretted it all!
Members are the best advertisement for DVC ;) - if it wasn't a great club members wouldn't add on MORE points! Congrats on joining (and adding on) and here's to the memories you'll all create!
My first trip to Disney we stayed in 1BR at OKW and I was hooked! Purchased direct AK in 2007. I was crushed when I had to sell back to Disney several years later due to a messy divorce. My kids love Disney so I was determined to purchase again. After putting myself through nursing school and getting back on my feet I purchased resale at SSR. I love that I am able to continue making cherished memories with my family!
I have been going to Disney my entire life. I always thought DVC was for the rich, but the DVC Fan Show with the Kreagers is what pushed me over the edge. Hearing them explain how it makes financial sense made me take the plunge.
The tipping point was financial. Living in Indianapolis, we plan our Disney trips very far out and were spending a good amount of money on moderate resorts. Once I learned about DVC, it made sense to put that yearly money to a membership. We only vacation in Disney, so it totally made sense! Best decision we ever made!
We purchased direct on our honeymoon. It was my 3rd or 4th trip and my wife’s first. It was both our first staying on property which happened to be a 1 bedroom preferred view at Saratoga. It was my wife’s first vacation is close to 5 years and we decided we didn’t want that to happen again now we are 10 years in paid off and have 40 more years of vacations ahead of us with now a 8 and 5 year olds. So happy we did it and starting to get that itch to add on… haha
You summed it up perfectly! Being a member is vacation 'insurance' - you gotta go somewhere or at least talk about it! You will love the memories with your kids as they get older and older - each trip is different and magical in it's own way!
After staying at Bay Lake with my brother who is a member, we stayed at AOA. Noticed the difference and decided to join on that trip. He spoiled us with the BLT trip. It is just my wife and I, but we always get a one bedroom. We love the space and bring a lot of bottled water, sodas, and food items for breakfast and lunch.
We purchased DVC in 2009, and it was because we love everything about Disney. I was there the day it opened and have loved it every since. At the time my kids were five and two and 1/2. Their dad and I felt we would be coming a lot as their grandma lived in Hilton Head and we would drive down to see them. Fast forward to 2011 we seperated/I purchased the contract and the kids and I have been coming about twice a year ever since. We have 130 points and enjoy the studios as well as a one bedroom. My kids are now 20 and 18 and when I asked them if I should sell it, they both said ABSOLUTELY NOT! We love everything Disney and all our memories there. One of their favorites is when we celebrated Christmas in the one bedroom. We brought a small Christmas tree and decorated it. I would leave a small gift under the tree each night for them to open in the morning. On one of those days there we made Christmas cut out cookies and decorated them. We gave some to the cast members and bus drivers as we visited the parks. We have so many wonderful memories at Disney and look forward to many many more. Our contract has since been paid off and we now only spend the yearly fee to stay at the resort for four-seven days/nights. BEST PURCHASE ever. Thank you Owen for bringing back all my fond memories with my kids. We are heading back HOME in thre days and CANNOT wait!!
WOW - what a fantastic story thank you so much for sharing - you said it perfectly! You can't put a price on those amazing memories - thank you so much for tuning in and sharing your awesome DVC story!
I purchased DVC after several years of renting DVC points at Aulani 🏝️. We love it there and have created so many amazing family memories. Love officially owning both resale and direct points (had to get that blue card 😎)
Thanks Maria! LOTS of members join after renting points so you are not alone (in having a blue card as well!) - THANK YOU so much for tuning in and sharing!
My kids said similar things. 😄 For us it was vacation either in the RV or DVC stays. First time they had to stay in a "regular" hotel, they were shocked. Love it. Thanks for the show.
A bunch of tipping points occurred near to each other: age milestones for us parents, high school and college graduations for our kids, and just the realization that DVC was going to make going on vacation with our adult kids (and future grands?) so much more fun.
Thanks for sharing and great perspective brought to this one. We bought in to Riviera and Beach Club in 2021 when our little boy was born and were excited to start making memories with him. We love our resort stays, especially in the summer much better than the theme parks.
Resort stays truly are the best! Those are the memories that you remember more than doing an attraction again and again - thank you so much for sharing!
Loved the show this week! Would love to hear from more DVC kids ❤️ We actually were nudged into DVC when the Resale Market dipped during the pandemic when we got our first contract at a really good price. And now we just bought contract number 3 from DVC Resale Market and just got home from Aulani!
The most important reason we purchased DVC was for all the trips we knew we wanted to take with our son (who was 2 at the time). We purchased it in April 2023, and it was absolutely the best decision ever.
The tipping point for us was that I was approaching retirement and we knew we would be able to take longer trips to WDW. We have a special needs son that will always be with us and Disney World is a place we can go as a family and do things together. We now stay in FL for two months in the winter, so we’ve since added two more contracts!
Happy Birthday. Dont ever be ashamed of your age. 1. You look great 2. Even if you didn’t look great there are so many people that didn’t get to reach that age. Each year is a blessing. I think your story just sold me on buying some more points.
Once my husband realized we could do our laundry while we were at the parks...from our room instead of trying to stay awake after rope drop to close and *then* wash everything for 7 people...😅 *Got Him!*
We were going to spend 12k to stay at the grand for 10 days and I just said we should buy resale and stay there for 40 years. That’s what we’re doing :)
This is the sweetest episode!!! I love it so much. It’s so wild to hear you talking about pushing Owen in a stroller to EPCOT! So cool to hear his story about growing up with the membership! Great job Owen!!!
Been wanting to buy DVC since animal kingdom was available, but it was never financially the right time. Took my husband for the first time in 2015 to poly, and he fell in love (backstory: my mom took me & my brother as kids in 1990, so poly is very sentimental to me) once I got my husband hooked, he was ready to sign 🤣 We started with Saratoga for the dues, and recently added on with OKW. Love love love DVC ❤
We stayed in a 2 bedroom at OKW and knew there was no going back! DVC felt out of reach due to the expense but then I found DVC Resale Market on the DVC Fan show and there was no looking back. Thanks for saving us thousands!
"It always seemed too expensive" is what we hear all the time - once you take the time like you did, people see that's silly NOT to join :) - THANK YOU for sharing and tuning in always!
the tipping point was knowing we love going and will be back year after year; my only regret is not buying sooner; bought in 2014 blt; 2015 akl and 2023 grand Flo
After years of staying off property with extended family for our Disney World vacations, my wife, kids, and I did our first trip just the four of us at the Polynesian on cash. The pool. The late night arcade time. The Monorail to MK. It was all too great to ever consider staying off property again. And DVC provided that opportunity to more economically stay on property for years to come. Here were are 13 years later, kids in college, and they still love staying at DVC and bringing their friends.
My wife has always been a huge Disney fan, so for our honey moon I got the land and sea package (1999 so DCL was relatively new and not doing 7 night cruises. Once we had sons that idea of being able to go back to WDW and take the boys became a priority as we enjoyed WDW so much more that DL as we are from CA. The ability to take the boys to WDW and create those memories with them is what pushed us over the edge to purchase DVC. My only regret is not doing more research prior and not knowing about resale when we purchased.
The kicker for me was I couldn't imagine not ever coming to Disney. Im always singing the praises of Derek and DVC Resale and how resale made that dream cone true for me.
The moment Owen starts explaining break even and seeing Derek and Kerri's reaction. lol. So good! My tipping point was paying rack rate at Aulani for a 2 bedroom ocean view for 5 nights. In December (low season), that booking was over $8000. Plus seeing my 2 year old son absolutely loving the resort put me down the road of researching what this DVC thing was really about. After putting pen to paper and doing the numbers, I remember walking over to my wife and interrupting her evening reading and saying, "So Disney Vacation Club thing...I really want to do this." She reacted like I was telling her I wanted to join Club 33 and thought I was absolutely insane. She thought there was absolutely NO WAY we could ever afford that. Especially before only having a very surface level understanding of what DVC was, we were the people that used to walk pass the DVC booths in the parks and laugh. Thinking only the super rich could buy this crazy $30K, $40K, $50K and up Disney product. We now laugh at our past selves.
Right! Hearing Owen say that so simply & quickly is what made us laugh ;) - "I wish I did it sooner" after getting the bill for the last hotel...you nailed it perfectly! Thanks so much for tuning in!
Thank you for such a great show! Our kids are 6 and 4 and new DVC members and it was so great to hear from Owen. We bought in because we love vacationing at Disney and while sitting by the pool at Aulani watching our kids enjoy every minute we knew it was something we had to do!
Awwwwwww - thank you so much for tuning in and sharing! And knowing your 6 and 4 year olds will be using the membership when they are 16 and 14...and 26 and 24, etc. THANKS for sharing!
My wife and I visited WDW every year since we’ve been together. We always dreamed of being able to stay at the Floridian and/or Polynesian. A friend of my wife told us about the resale market and we couldn’t believe that it was something that we could actually afford! This past January we bought 2 resale contracts. 1 at VGF and 1 at SSR. We had our welcome home trip last month and did a split stay and the Floridian and Polynesian. 6 months after daydreaming about staying at those resorts, we couldn’t believe we were actually staying there! The best part is we’re expecting our first child later this year! We’re very excited for our baby to grow up a DVC member from birth 🎉
WOW - thank you for sharing! That's what it's all about - and knowing that your child will grow up with incredible Disney vacations ;) - WELCOME HOME - and we can't wait to hear about all of your trips!
I know that perks can change, but my tipping point was the chance to participate in Moonlight Magic to meet special characters. Brand new member here, so I’m hoping to get lucky and experience one soon.
Being from CA we’d been to Disneyland countless times, but after our first trip to Disney World I was hooked. (My husband not so much…. 😂). After our second trip in (staying at moderates both times) I did the math and realized we could stay at deluxe resorts for the same or less and jumped right in with VGF - sight unseen unless the view from the monorail counts. 😂
That's awesome! And only after 2 trips, super smart :) - so many folks wind up joining say after their 5th...8th...congrats and thank you for sharing and tuning in!
My tipping point was realizing we had gone on 4 Disney trips in the last 4 years plus had another planned to Aulani and could have mostly paid for a DVC contact already if we would have bought in sooner. We aren't members yet, but have placed two offers in this month which we didn't get so are waiting for the right contract for us. Hopefully soon!
The right one is out there Julie we promise! We can't wait to finally say Welcome Home when that right contract comes around! THANK YOU for tuning in and reach out anytime!
Watching the DVC show and understanding how membership worked got me nearly over the edge. Then, doing a spreadsheet to realize that the cost of membership would put us in the DVC resorts for the same cost as staying at Pop Century at today’s cost finally did it! We also started with a 60 point contract, which let us enter without spending what at the time was a scary amount of money on direct. We also started with Boulder Ridge because we figured the 2042 resort seemed like plenty for us to use DVC with our son going into his 20s and not be tied down with dues. That got us in and we added on another 100 points before we even got to a year past our first purchase 😂 Animal Kingdom Villas and a 2057 resort this time. We decided we’d want to keep coming after finally getting a chance to vacation as DVC members.
So glad the DVC Show helped (as it does for so many!) - and seeing that members stay in deluxe for what guests pay to stay in values is HUGE and why it just makes so much sense! THANK YOU for sharing!
My partner and I had our first ever Disneyworld trip planned from the UK but it got cancelled during covid and we had just started watching the CZcams videos about DVC. Our dream to get to WDW became more and more supercharged as we explored DVC further. Dan loves spreadsheets so he was doing the analytical side and I was definitely the emotional side, as we had also just found out I was pregnant with twins! That was our tipping point - having never even been to Disneyworld we became DVC members (thanks to Marissa from DVC Resale Market). The twins have now been to WDW twice at just gone 3 years old!
That's awesomt to hear! Dan is not the only spreadsheet lover that winds up joining DVC ;) - congrats on the family and here's to many many more awesome vacations as members of the DVC (and World of DVC) family!
I was an addict forever but it was my wife’s first trip. We stayed at wilderness lodge (copper creek) and somehow I crafted the perfect experience and she was hooked. We decided we wanted to go back and I booked carribean beach. She came to me and said hey honey I’d like to stay deluxe. I was like finally let’s do this and get a dvc contract. Been there twice since and going back in a month glad we got it early instead of waiting till our 5th or so trip. Just added on at poly too!!!
Once you stay deluxe it's very hard to 'go back' - and you nailed it - with DVC you never have to 'go back' - and congrats on your Poly purchase Dan that's great!
I had been dreaming about DVC and learning about the resale market since 2020…I then suddenly lost my dad at age 62 in February 2021 and then suddenly lost my mom 9 months later in November 2021 also at age 62. My parents didn’t have much, we grew up very modestly and after they passed I received a very small amount of money. I knew that I didn’t want that money to be spent on every day expenses….i wanted it to go to something special that would remind me of my mom and dad, something that would be like the last “gift” from them that I otherwise wouldn’t have. I decided to put it towards a small resale DVC contract. My parents were able to take us to Disney 1 time as kids and it was the most magical trip. I’ve only been able to use my DVC contract for 1 trip so far but I felt their presence with me the whole time. I’m so glad I can take my kids each year and my parents can still be a part of it. If it weren’t for them this wouldn’t be possible. I wish things were different and they were here in person but since they can’t be, I feel this is a nice way to honor them each year.
@kimberlyyytv6232 what a nice tribute to them, I'm sure they are looking down on you with love and happy you were able to do something so meaningful ❤️
WOW - thank you for sharing - truly an amazing story and what membership is all about - they will always be with you each and everytrip which is what every parent hopes for ;) - again, thank you for tuning in and taking the time to share such an incredible story....
Our first trip to Vero was a big family trip and we had beach cottage and inn room for 15 people. Our next trip was an inn room and our 5 year old wanted to know why we weren’t staying in the big houses 😎
My kids either! ** they have never stayed at a value resort* Not that it’s a problem. Just luckily I found out about Moderate & DVC early on 13 years ago
I’ve gone to Disney annually since ‘96 (minus some covid years). My parents bought in to Westgate. I do not know why they chose Westgate over DVC because we were only coming to Florida to visit Disney World. My parents sold the Westgate membership in 2012 and we’ve been doing Air BNB or other accommodations. When my wife & I finally brought our children in 2019 they asked if we could stay in Disney World. They didn’t know what DVC was they just wanted to sleep in the parks 😂. I told them we couldn’t stay inside of the park but we could get close and from there I started doing research.
Perfect! We have heard stories like yours a LOT (people choosing other timeshares even though they only go to Disney ;) - if you're able to find a way to sleep in the parks let us know hahaha
We decided to buy after looking at how much a 10 night stay in a 2 bedroom copper creek villa would be. I was like, I can buy a whole resale contract for the price of one 10 night stay. Bought CCV in 2019 and I do not have any regrets.
Perfectly said! Price out the next trip renting a room...and then do like 4 more and you have a membership! Congrats on your purchase and thank you for tuning in!
My aunt bought dvc 1995 I was 7 years old went for the first time when I was 8 I’m now 36 and have never known different and have never set foot on a value resort until 4 years ago and now my aunt is teaching me the ropes
You are going to be an expert in no time - that's what's so great about it is that it really is simple - and addictive once you get on the member site to plan vacations!
@@worldofdvc yes it’s so addictive lol I have three staycations on the books right now one in Jan and Feb and one coming up in 28 days it’s a tool that has fixed problems for me while making it that much better
My daughter when off to collage in California and wanted to purchase annual pass so I said okay and wasn’t thinking that may be I might need one too. So her first year in collage we went before she started and seen the DVC cast member. We said not because we didn’t have time and I only had so many day pass. Then summer came and I had to come to help her mover out so we went to Disney after before going home. Again we said no thank you and one day my daughter said what is time share because she been hear but didn’t know what is was. So one day at the mall the DVC cast member asked if we would like to learn about DVC so we said okay. We went to hear about the DVC and thinking to our self we will not be able to purchase because it’s out of our reach. I was shocked that we could purchase and it wasn’t like Hilton or Marriott. In 2011 I think the only other DVC resort was Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas but we were not going out to Florida from Hawaii that’s a long trip. If it was California then we will have to think which one because Aulani we can go any time as long it was open and it would feel like a vacation not in Waikiki. So yes it was my daughter who made me to purchase DVC and it would save us money for paying for hotel stays..
What a great story! THANK YOU so much for sharing - great to hear member stories from Aulani owners and why/how they purchased - thank you for tuning in!
I’ll never do a 1 bedroom with my kids. 1 bedroom if it’s just me & my wife. 2 bedrooms if the kids come. Also I always cook at least one meal on vacation.
We purchased in 2023. I always wanted my own DVC contract (grew up a DVC kid), but hadn't pulled the trigger yet. Then, two things happened. First, my Dad passed suddenly, so I was thrown into a tailspin of nostalgia- going through photos of our trips over the years, remembering his favorite rides and foods, etc. Second, I finally got my husband and kids out to Disneyland, where my husband fell in love with the original park (and DCA). Nostalgia on my end + his newfound love of Disneyland and desire to have the best chance possible of securing a room while out there led us to 250 points at VDH. (now to just convince him to let me buy some WDW points too...)
I went to Disney World one time as a child. I was 8 years old. It was the best week. I watched tinker bell fly during the firework show and vowed to myself in that moment that when I was older and had a family of my own, I would find a way to take my family to Disney world every year. My husband and I welcomed our first child this past December and, after years of saving, became Disney Vacation Club Members at the Polynesian resort. Our family will be ‘welcomed home’ for the first time this December for our Daughter’s first birthday. ❤ Dreams come true if you work for them and believe!
Thank you for sharing that! ❤
(wiping tears away ;) - what an amazing story! This trip in December will be SO magical - esp knowing you'll be coming back & back again for decades to come as your daughter grows up - thank you so much for tuning in and sharing!
We purchased when my son was 3 and he is now 25. My husband passed away 7 years into the membership. Those 7 years of memories are worth every penny we spent and still spend on DVC. We were taking 2 or 3 trips a year at least at the time and I know a lot of the memories as well as photos my son has with his dad are from Disney. Best decision ever. And we also have a pile of arcade cards and still go to the arcades every trip.
Nothing better than the arcade cards (esp the ones you forget you have and see that there's more money left on them ;) - thank you so much for tuning in!
What made me make the jump was the look on my wife's face when we went back to WDW for our 25th wedding anniversary last year. It was the first time we had been back since our honeymoon in '97. After years of working it's time to relax and enjoy life!
Awwwwwww - happy anniversary! No better place to celebrate than Disney World - thanks for sharing and tuning in!
We purchased DVC in 2015 after suddenly losing my mother-in-law. We had a trip planned, and while we were there, we purchased. We decided that life was too short and we needed to make memories as a family. My son was, I believe, 6 at the time. Like your son, DVC is really all he knows. We love not having to rush around, and we enjoy being at the resort.
Thank you for sharing and perfectly said! Knowing you are coming back lets you just ENJOY being on vacation without the need to feel to rush around to do everything :)
Our son is now that age and we just purchased (at Riviera)! We were already able to do a vacation at Aulani with the 2023 points, and it turns out that we loved it there so much (and since we're west coast based), we were able to SWITCH home resorts to Aulani (niche scenario, but if you have a contract that isn't yet closed, you can modify it!) Our kids loved that time with us (out of everything we did in Hawaii, character meet and greets were their favorite, go figure!), we are confident this decision is going to become one of our best blessings as a family!
Congrats Derek for raising a well spoken young man in Owen.
Awwww - thank you so much that means SO much - Derek & Annie are quite proud of him, thanks for reaching out and tuning in :)
Owen is an extremely personable, articulate young man, Derek! You and Annie can be so very proud of him 💗 Another amazing, magical show. Kerri deserves every magical moment for her special birthday celebration in the Poly Bungalows 🎂 I rented DVC points for several years thinking that with the direct DVC prices, there was no way I could afford buying 😢 Then I learned about the resale market and the rest, as they say, is history 😍
Awwww - thank you (Derek says it's def more Annie than him ;) - we so love having you part of the DVC community Mary and hope to see you soon!
Our DVC tipping point happened after a couple of different DVC experiences. We started off with a surprise upgrade to a 1 bedroom at Saratoga Springs. We fell in love but could not afford the experience of buying direct. We latter discovered that you could try before you buy and booked a stay at the Polynesian. We had a fantastic time but a family of 5 stuffed into the studio room was not the best experience. Our hearts where sold when we booked our stay at Old Key West. I had just graduated with my Masters in Theology and to celebrate my wife booked this trip to get away. We loved every moment of our OKW DVC vacation. We waited and saved and when I was hired on as a bi-vocational pastor we started praying into the decision. Low and behold, the ROFR monster had fallen asleep and we were in the perfect position to buy in. We chose our beloved Old Key West and have been enjoying every vacation since. The price, the room and the location just stole our hearts.
WOW what a great story Shannon! Everything truly fell into place so perfectly and you can never go wrong with Old Key West and the huge rooms (and low points!)
The tipping point for me was staying in a theme park view room at the Poly through DVC rental store. We decided to try out the Grand Floridian and Polynesian before committing to DVC, and just walking into the room with the view of tue bungalows, the ferry and the castle was like nothing else! We can’t believe we get to call this place home and come back year after year! ❤
That is a PERFECT story and what it's all about! That knowing you'll be back is the best thing about it so each trip you can actually RELAX if you want :)
I wish my story was more exciting, my in-laws bought in back in the 90s. My future wife and I used to book under their points Everytime. After our daughter was born we stayed at Saratoga and decided to walk into the show center there with her to feel things out. She was treated like a true kid…got toys and snacks and had a blast while we had the talk and tour. We kind of always had in our mind we would keep it going for her, and we walked out owning copper creek. Which is still my favorite. A few years later we were thinking of buying a condo to rent by Epcot. At the last minute we strolled back into Saratoga and used our condo money to buy riviera! Your welcome panda;) Good thing we did because the pandemic hit that spring and we would have lost our shirts with an empty condo around Disney. Since we have merged accounts with our in-laws we have 9 contracts and two ad ons Derek helped with a year ago! Thanks guys.
Thanks Jarrett for being a part of the World of DVC family with us! And for letting Derek help you with some new points!
I took the jump a few months after losing my mom. Lost my dad the year before. Shared some great memories of my mom at Disney and remember taking her to O'Hara for breakfast on one of our last trips and she said that she wished she could stay at the Polynesian some day. I looked into pricing back then and could never afford to stay there. After they passed I realized I really wanted to purchase DVC which was always a dream and that is when you just really feel like life is short and I wanted that experience for myself, my family and my kids and we purchased our home resort, of course, the Polynesian from DVC Resale Market. Couldn't be happier with my decision. Took our 3rd trip owning and it is just everything. Just wish I would have taken the plunge when my mom was still here so I could have made her dreams come true...but it is because of her and my dad that mine did. ✨
This past May was our 9th trip to Disney in the last 17 years. We were thinking this would be our last for a while and then when we returned home to Canada we realized who are we kidding, we had the best time with our kids aged 24 & 26! We wanted to build more memories with hopefully grand kids one day and took the plunge! We bought AK, our favourite resort through DVC Resale Market and just received the ROFR waiver this week. Now at the ages of 55 & 56, we are so excited we can’t wait to get the closure on the contract and start planning! Love your channel, we are learning so much!
"This is our last Disney trip for awhile" is a very common phrase ;) - only to find themselves back at Disney! What a great story and here's to decades of the most amazing vacations ever! Thank you for sharing!
When I realized we weren't going to be able to move to Florida, I said well, DVC is the next best thing. So I may not be a resident of Florida, but because of DVC, I am able to visit a whole lot more now.
That's why they say WELCOME HOME! You are part of the DVC family no matter where you live - CONGRATULATIONS & thank you for tuning in!
Seeing a giraffe outside from my hotel balcony simply sealed the deal - I want to make sure I can experience that over and over again! So Animal Kingdom lodge became our first home resort within a week of returning from our trip ❤
Right! I mean - how do you ever stay somewhere where there ISN'T a giraffe outside your room ;) - thank you for sharing and tuning in!
It was several smaller moments over the course of a year that finally added up for me. I took my then 6 year old son to Aulani, and he said it was the most beautiful place he had ever visited and I began to look seriously at DVC. 10 months later, I took him to Walt Disney World for the first time and we had a very peaceful dinner at sunset one evening at Riviera. I snapped a photo of him as he sighed and said "Mom, this is the life. Thank you for working so hard to bring me here." It was the most magical trip. I was 90% of the way there at that point - I wanted to keep providing him these moments of joy and family connection.
A month later, I needed to fly to FL for surgery as the #1 surgeons for my condition are in Tampa. I chose to recover over several nights at SSR. Unfortunately, the surgery was not successful. As I was processing my disappointment and fear of yet another surgery, I spent quite a bit of healing time on the balcony overlooking the grounds of SSR. I had a moment where it hit me. Life is way too short and goes by in a flash - don't waste another moment overthinking the finances or the "what ifs" about DVC (I had done all of that in spades!) The most important thing in the world to me is the memories with my family. I was in and had a BLT resale contract bought within a month and a Riv direct contract bought two months after that.
"Mom, this is the life. Thank you for working so hard to bring me here." - insert goosebumps here! What an amazing story, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us so perfectly!
The nudge for me was my 2nd trip to WDW last year. Unlike going to Disneyland (I'm a local), it always feels like an actual vacation and I love being in the bubble. I knew I wanted to go once a year, but I didn't want to be stuck in the All-Stars so I ran the numbers and took the plunge! I bought 150 direct for the member benefits, and 3 smaller OWK and BRV contracts from DVC Resale Market (one of those was from Derek!) and I couldn't be happier with my DVCision!
Nothing wrong with All Star of course but members as you know stay in deluxe for what non members pay to stay at Value/Moderate resorts so it just makes so much sense! CONGRATS (and thanks for choosing to let us help you with your add on!)
I'll start with the caveat that we are not yet members - we're still saving up after a huge home renovation that took priority.
But our tipping point to deciding to join DVC was honestly a combination of the sticker shock of paying cash for a 1br villa at Bay Lake Tower to meet our needs as a family of 4 plus a guest to have the trip we wanted, AND looking forward to what we would love to do for our future vacations with our children.
We're looking forward to joining as soon as it is financially responsible for us to do so!
We are so excited to welcome you in the DVC family when you are ready! We're here so reach out anytime with any and all questions as you do research!
It was just perfect timing for us. We realized that how often we stay on property and how frequently we visit it was time. We are already AP so it just made sense for us as the next step.
Bingo! Folks just need to say 'how many more trips am I going to RENT hotel rooms' - and that's when they say 'OH...why not just pay for those trips upfront - break even - and have the best trips ever AND save money!" - THANK YOU for tuning in!
Our DVC moment was when they showed us a CC cascade cabin and we thought omg we would be able to stay in this magnificent cabin someday. Granted it would take all our points and then some but the possibility still exists!
Right? Just knowing that as a member we COULD stay there! Kerri never thought she would ever have a bungalow even for 1 night - but membership allowed her to do that!
We were at Disney World for the 1st time, took a DVC tour (had an idea about DVC b/c of a friend, but didn't know much at all) and as soon as they mentioned Aulani as a future DVC property, we were sold. We've never been to Hawaii at this point and that was the nudge we needed! Present day we visit once a year, and we get to share DVC with our 5yr old.
Making memories is what it's all about it! And knowing you'll be back again and again :)
We had rented DVC points for a few years and were completely spoiled by two bedroom villas. When it was the year of a milestone birthday, I had decided to splurge for an out of pocket stay in a two bedroom at Riviera. We then thought for that amount of money, we should really look into buying DVC. We did and we purchased our first contract! Have since added on and often think about more! We have loved our DVC stays with our kids and grandkids and always look forward to the next one. So fun!
THANK YOU for sharing! Once you stay in a one let alone a 2 bedroom you can't imagine anything else ;) - thanks so much for tuning in!
What made our family ready to purchase was after our first trip to Disneyworld as a family and we stayed at the contemporary. I knew after we stayed there if we ever wanted to do more/frequent trips as a family we needed to find a way to do it. Went home and started researching and found out about resale DVC and it was a no brainer.
That's a great first trip to the Contemporary! Research is key and you joining shows how important that is - CONGRATS on your purchase and thanks for tuning in!
My wife and I had been on our honeymoon. During two separate rounds of golf we met two different couples who were members and talked about how much they loved DVC. Both provided the same quote of “we only wish we had joined sooner”. We met with a guide a day or two later, went over the program and bought 150 Points at Riviera a week or so after returning home. Like Derek it was an emotional choice with the goal of trying to grow a family and bringing our friends, parents, and siblings as well. Added on 120 points at Saratoga less than a year later and haven’t regretted it all!
Members are the best advertisement for DVC ;) - if it wasn't a great club members wouldn't add on MORE points! Congrats on joining (and adding on) and here's to the memories you'll all create!
Just have to say I love this show! If I ever need more points Derek is my guy👍
Thank you so much for the kind words - we have SUCH A GREAT World of DVC family and thank you for being part of it with us :)
My first trip to Disney we stayed in 1BR at OKW and I was hooked! Purchased direct AK in 2007. I was crushed when I had to sell back to Disney several years later due to a messy divorce. My kids love Disney so I was determined to purchase again. After putting myself through nursing school and getting back on my feet I purchased resale at SSR. I love that I am able to continue making cherished memories with my family!
WOW - congratulations on all you've accomplished - we can't wait to hear about all your awesome vacations - thank you for tuning in and sharing!
I have been going to Disney my entire life. I always thought DVC was for the rich, but the DVC Fan Show with the Kreagers is what pushed me over the edge. Hearing them explain how it makes financial sense made me take the plunge.
That's so great to hear! Paul & Amy do such an amazing job helping folks - THANK YOU for tuning in and sharing!
The tipping point was financial. Living in Indianapolis, we plan our Disney trips very far out and were spending a good amount of money on moderate resorts. Once I learned about DVC, it made sense to put that yearly money to a membership. We only vacation in Disney, so it totally made sense! Best decision we ever made!
That is an awesome story - and if you ONLY vacation at Disney - it's a no brainer for you all! CONGRATS and thanks so much for watching!
We purchased direct on our honeymoon. It was my 3rd or 4th trip and my wife’s first. It was both our first staying on property which happened to be a 1 bedroom preferred view at Saratoga. It was my wife’s first vacation is close to 5 years and we decided we didn’t want that to happen again now we are 10 years in paid off and have 40 more years of vacations ahead of us with now a 8 and 5 year olds. So happy we did it and starting to get that itch to add on… haha
You summed it up perfectly! Being a member is vacation 'insurance' - you gotta go somewhere or at least talk about it! You will love the memories with your kids as they get older and older - each trip is different and magical in it's own way!
After staying at Bay Lake with my brother who is a member, we stayed at AOA. Noticed the difference and decided to join on that trip. He spoiled us with the BLT trip. It is just my wife and I, but we always get a one bedroom. We love the space and bring a lot of bottled water, sodas, and food items for breakfast and lunch.
Once you do that 1 bedroom at any DVC resort it's so hard to go back to even a great studio!
What a amazing show 🥰 We decided to buy DVC when we wanted to come to Disney every year and wanted to stay deluxe 😮❤😊 Thanks for sharing 🤗👋🏽♥️
Thank YOU for sharing and tuning in - here's to many awesome vacations for you!
We purchased DVC in 2009, and it was because we love everything about Disney. I was there the day it opened and have loved it every since. At the time my kids were five and two and 1/2. Their dad and I felt we would be coming a lot as their grandma lived in Hilton Head and we would drive down to see them. Fast forward to 2011 we seperated/I purchased the contract and the kids and I have been coming about twice a year ever since. We have 130 points and enjoy the studios as well as a one bedroom. My kids are now 20 and 18 and when I asked them if I should sell it, they both said ABSOLUTELY NOT! We love everything Disney and all our memories there. One of their favorites is when we celebrated Christmas in the one bedroom. We brought a small Christmas tree and decorated it. I would leave a small gift under the tree each night for them to open in the morning. On one of those days there we made Christmas cut out cookies and decorated them. We gave some to the cast members and bus drivers as we visited the parks. We have so many wonderful memories at Disney and look forward to many many more. Our contract has since been paid off and we now only spend the yearly fee to stay at the resort for four-seven days/nights. BEST PURCHASE ever. Thank you Owen for bringing back all my fond memories with my kids. We are heading back HOME in thre days and CANNOT wait!!
WOW - what a fantastic story thank you so much for sharing - you said it perfectly! You can't put a price on those amazing memories - thank you so much for tuning in and sharing your awesome DVC story!
I purchased DVC after several years of renting DVC points at Aulani 🏝️. We love it there and have created so many amazing family memories. Love officially owning both resale and direct points (had to get that blue card 😎)
Thanks Maria! LOTS of members join after renting points so you are not alone (in having a blue card as well!) - THANK YOU so much for tuning in and sharing!
My kids said similar things. 😄 For us it was vacation either in the RV or DVC stays. First time they had to stay in a "regular" hotel, they were shocked. Love it. Thanks for the show.
Hahaha - right? Crazy how when they grow up with DVC rooms they think that's how they ALL are around the country - thank you for tuning in!
A bunch of tipping points occurred near to each other: age milestones for us parents, high school and college graduations for our kids, and just the realization that DVC was going to make going on vacation with our adult kids (and future grands?) so much more fun.
That is exactly what membership is all about! Making memories during ALL stages of life as a member!
Thanks for sharing and great perspective brought to this one. We bought in to Riviera and Beach Club in 2021 when our little boy was born and were excited to start making memories with him. We love our resort stays, especially in the summer much better than the theme parks.
Resort stays truly are the best! Those are the memories that you remember more than doing an attraction again and again - thank you so much for sharing!
Loved the show this week! Would love to hear from more DVC kids ❤️
We actually were nudged into DVC when the Resale Market dipped during the pandemic when we got our first contract at a really good price. And now we just bought contract number 3 from DVC Resale Market and just got home from Aulani!
Awesome! You are not alone in joining during the pandemic - congrats on all your purchases and THANK YOU for sharing and tuning in!
The most important reason we purchased DVC was for all the trips we knew we wanted to take with our son (who was 2 at the time). We purchased it in April 2023, and it was absolutely the best decision ever.
You are going to LOVE knowing your son will literally 'grow up' with Disney - CONGRATULATIONS!
The tipping point for us was that I was approaching retirement and we knew we would be able to take longer trips to WDW. We have a special needs son that will always be with us and Disney World is a place we can go as a family and do things together. We now stay in FL for two months in the winter, so we’ve since added two more contracts!
That is great! What a great place to spend the winters than the most Magical Place on Earth :) - thanks for tuning in and sharing!
Happy Birthday. Dont ever be ashamed of your age.
1. You look great
2. Even if you didn’t look great there are so many people that didn’t get to reach that age. Each year is a blessing.
I think your story just sold me on buying some more points.
Awwwwww - that's awesome to hear - thank you so much for tuning in and the kind words!
Happy birthday! So glad you had a wonderful Polynesian bungalow birthday! 🎂
THANK YOU! It was an incredible evening for sure - thanks for letting us share it with you!
Once my husband realized we could do our laundry while we were at the parks...from our room instead of trying to stay awake after rope drop to close and *then* wash everything for 7 people...😅 *Got Him!*
Hahahah - that's so great - most expensive washer & dryer you've ever bought right ;) - thanks for tuning in each month Becky & Josh!
We were going to spend 12k to stay at the grand for 10 days and I just said we should buy resale and stay there for 40 years. That’s what we’re doing :)
You summed it up perfectly and why "I wish I joined sooner!" is the most common phrase! Thanks so much for tuning in!
We had a wonderful person gift us a stay in a 2BR at BR, and realized we never wanted to go back to our old accommodations!
WOW! What a great person to do that and I'm sure that helped seal the deal ;) - THANK YOU for tuning in this month!
This is the sweetest episode!!! I love it so much. It’s so wild to hear you talking about pushing Owen in a stroller to EPCOT! So cool to hear his story about growing up with the membership! Great job Owen!!!
Stop it Dani ;) - can't wait to have you back on the show hopefully very soon!
Been wanting to buy DVC since animal kingdom was available, but it was never financially the right time. Took my husband for the first time in 2015 to poly, and he fell in love (backstory: my mom took me & my brother as kids in 1990, so poly is very sentimental to me) once I got my husband hooked, he was ready to sign 🤣 We started with Saratoga for the dues, and recently added on with OKW. Love love love DVC ❤
What a great story and THANK YOU for sharing with us and tuning in!
We stayed in a 2 bedroom at OKW and knew there was no going back! DVC felt out of reach due to the expense but then I found DVC Resale Market on the DVC Fan show and there was no looking back. Thanks for saving us thousands!
"It always seemed too expensive" is what we hear all the time - once you take the time like you did, people see that's silly NOT to join :) - THANK YOU for sharing and tuning in always!
the tipping point was knowing we love going and will be back year after year; my only regret is not buying sooner; bought in 2014 blt; 2015 akl and 2023 grand Flo
Very common to hear "I wish I joined sooner!" but at least you DID! Welcome Home and thanks for tuning in!
After years of staying off property with extended family for our Disney World vacations, my wife, kids, and I did our first trip just the four of us at the Polynesian on cash. The pool. The late night arcade time. The Monorail to MK. It was all too great to ever consider staying off property again. And DVC provided that opportunity to more economically stay on property for years to come. Here were are 13 years later, kids in college, and they still love staying at DVC and bringing their friends.
You had Derek at the arcade comment ;) - THAT is what it's all about - what memories you've made in 13 years - THANK YOU for sharing!
My wife has always been a huge Disney fan, so for our honey moon I got the land and sea package (1999 so DCL was relatively new and not doing 7 night cruises. Once we had sons that idea of being able to go back to WDW and take the boys became a priority as we enjoyed WDW so much more that DL as we are from CA. The ability to take the boys to WDW and create those memories with them is what pushed us over the edge to purchase DVC. My only regret is not doing more research prior and not knowing about resale when we purchased.
Best thing you ever did! Thank you for sharing - knowing you'll be making incredible memories for decades to come is what it's all about!
The kicker for me was I couldn't imagine not ever coming to Disney. Im always singing the praises of Derek and DVC Resale and how resale made that dream cone true for me.
THANK YOU Dee for being such a great member of the World of DVC family :)
The moment Owen starts explaining break even and seeing Derek and Kerri's reaction. lol. So good!
My tipping point was paying rack rate at Aulani for a 2 bedroom ocean view for 5 nights. In December (low season), that booking was over $8000. Plus seeing my 2 year old son absolutely loving the resort put me down the road of researching what this DVC thing was really about. After putting pen to paper and doing the numbers, I remember walking over to my wife and interrupting her evening reading and saying, "So Disney Vacation Club thing...I really want to do this." She reacted like I was telling her I wanted to join Club 33 and thought I was absolutely insane. She thought there was absolutely NO WAY we could ever afford that. Especially before only having a very surface level understanding of what DVC was, we were the people that used to walk pass the DVC booths in the parks and laugh. Thinking only the super rich could buy this crazy $30K, $40K, $50K and up Disney product. We now laugh at our past selves.
Right! Hearing Owen say that so simply & quickly is what made us laugh ;) - "I wish I did it sooner" after getting the bill for the last hotel...you nailed it perfectly! Thanks so much for tuning in!
Thank you for such a great show! Our kids are 6 and 4 and new DVC members and it was so great to hear from Owen. We bought in because we love vacationing at Disney and while sitting by the pool at Aulani watching our kids enjoy every minute we knew it was something we had to do!
Awwwwwww - thank you so much for tuning in and sharing! And knowing your 6 and 4 year olds will be using the membership when they are 16 and 14...and 26 and 24, etc. THANKS for sharing!
My wife and I visited WDW every year since we’ve been together. We always dreamed of being able to stay at the Floridian and/or Polynesian. A friend of my wife told us about the resale market and we couldn’t believe that it was something that we could actually afford! This past January we bought 2 resale contracts. 1 at VGF and 1 at SSR. We had our welcome home trip last month and did a split stay and the Floridian and Polynesian. 6 months after daydreaming about staying at those resorts, we couldn’t believe we were actually staying there! The best part is we’re expecting our first child later this year! We’re very excited for our baby to grow up a DVC member from birth 🎉
WOW - thank you for sharing! That's what it's all about - and knowing that your child will grow up with incredible Disney vacations ;) - WELCOME HOME - and we can't wait to hear about all of your trips!
I know that perks can change, but my tipping point was the chance to participate in Moonlight Magic to meet special characters. Brand new member here, so I’m hoping to get lucky and experience one soon.
They are very fun events (if a trip lines up right and you're able to get in!) - thanks so much for tuning in!
Being from CA we’d been to Disneyland countless times, but after our first trip to Disney World I was hooked. (My husband not so much…. 😂). After our second trip in (staying at moderates both times) I did the math and realized we could stay at deluxe resorts for the same or less and jumped right in with VGF - sight unseen unless the view from the monorail counts. 😂
That's awesome! And only after 2 trips, super smart :) - so many folks wind up joining say after their 5th...8th...congrats and thank you for sharing and tuning in!
My tipping point was realizing we had gone on 4 Disney trips in the last 4 years plus had another planned to Aulani and could have mostly paid for a DVC contact already if we would have bought in sooner. We aren't members yet, but have placed two offers in this month which we didn't get so are waiting for the right contract for us. Hopefully soon!
The right one is out there Julie we promise! We can't wait to finally say Welcome Home when that right contract comes around! THANK YOU for tuning in and reach out anytime!
Watching the DVC show and understanding how membership worked got me nearly over the edge. Then, doing a spreadsheet to realize that the cost of membership would put us in the DVC resorts for the same cost as staying at Pop Century at today’s cost finally did it! We also started with a 60 point contract, which let us enter without spending what at the time was a scary amount of money on direct.
We also started with Boulder Ridge because we figured the 2042 resort seemed like plenty for us to use DVC with our son going into his 20s and not be tied down with dues.
That got us in and we added on another 100 points before we even got to a year past our first purchase 😂
Animal Kingdom Villas and a 2057 resort this time. We decided we’d want to keep coming after finally getting a chance to vacation as DVC members.
So glad the DVC Show helped (as it does for so many!) - and seeing that members stay in deluxe for what guests pay to stay in values is HUGE and why it just makes so much sense! THANK YOU for sharing!
our gentle nudge was when the resort room at FQ was so crowded with all the daughters and we said we need more space.
YES! You truly do enjoy your trips more just having SPACE (and always a balcony or patio!)
My partner and I had our first ever Disneyworld trip planned from the UK but it got cancelled during covid and we had just started watching the CZcams videos about DVC. Our dream to get to WDW became more and more supercharged as we explored DVC further. Dan loves spreadsheets so he was doing the analytical side and I was definitely the emotional side, as we had also just found out I was pregnant with twins! That was our tipping point - having never even been to Disneyworld we became DVC members (thanks to Marissa from DVC Resale Market). The twins have now been to WDW twice at just gone 3 years old!
That's awesomt to hear! Dan is not the only spreadsheet lover that winds up joining DVC ;) - congrats on the family and here's to many many more awesome vacations as members of the DVC (and World of DVC) family!
Thank you so much 🥰
I was an addict forever but it was my wife’s first trip. We stayed at wilderness lodge (copper creek) and somehow I crafted the perfect experience and she was hooked. We decided we wanted to go back and I booked carribean beach. She came to me and said hey honey I’d like to stay deluxe. I was like finally let’s do this and get a dvc contract. Been there twice since and going back in a month glad we got it early instead of waiting till our 5th or so trip. Just added on at poly too!!!
Once you stay deluxe it's very hard to 'go back' - and you nailed it - with DVC you never have to 'go back' - and congrats on your Poly purchase Dan that's great!
I had been dreaming about DVC and learning about the resale market since 2020…I then suddenly lost my dad at age 62 in February 2021 and then suddenly lost my mom 9 months later in November 2021 also at age 62.
My parents didn’t have much, we grew up very modestly and after they passed I received a very small amount of money. I knew that I didn’t want that money to be spent on every day expenses….i wanted it to go to something special that would remind me of my mom and dad, something that would be like the last “gift” from them that I otherwise wouldn’t have. I decided to put it towards a small resale DVC contract.
My parents were able to take us to Disney 1 time as kids and it was the most magical trip. I’ve only been able to use my DVC contract for 1 trip so far but I felt their presence with me the whole time.
I’m so glad I can take my kids each year and my parents can still be a part of it. If it weren’t for them this wouldn’t be possible. I wish things were different and they were here in person but since they can’t be, I feel this is a nice way to honor them each year.
@kimberlyyytv6232 what a nice tribute to them, I'm sure they are looking down on you with love and happy you were able to do something so meaningful ❤️
WOW - thank you for sharing - truly an amazing story and what membership is all about - they will always be with you each and everytrip which is what every parent hopes for ;) - again, thank you for tuning in and taking the time to share such an incredible story....
Our first trip to Vero was a big family trip and we had beach cottage and inn room for 15 people. Our next trip was an inn room and our 5 year old wanted to know why we weren’t staying in the big houses 😎
Hahaha - that's a great story! We always have a Vero cottage on our bucket list each time we visit Vero!
My kids either!
** they have never stayed at a value resort*
Not that it’s a problem.
Just luckily I found out about Moderate & DVC early on
13 years ago
Once you go DVC it's so hard to not stay DVC as great as all the Disney resorts are!
I’ve gone to Disney annually since ‘96 (minus some covid years). My parents bought in to Westgate. I do not know why they chose Westgate over DVC because we were only coming to Florida to visit Disney World. My parents sold the Westgate membership in 2012 and we’ve been doing Air BNB or other accommodations. When my wife & I finally brought our children in 2019 they asked if we could stay in Disney World. They didn’t know what DVC was they just wanted to sleep in the parks 😂. I told them we couldn’t stay inside of the park but we could get close and from there I started doing research.
Perfect! We have heard stories like yours a LOT (people choosing other timeshares even though they only go to Disney ;) - if you're able to find a way to sleep in the parks let us know hahaha
We decided to buy after looking at how much a 10 night stay in a 2 bedroom copper creek villa would be. I was like, I can buy a whole resale contract for the price of one 10 night stay. Bought CCV in 2019 and I do not have any regrets.
Perfectly said! Price out the next trip renting a room...and then do like 4 more and you have a membership! Congrats on your purchase and thank you for tuning in!
My aunt bought dvc 1995 I was 7 years old went for the first time when I was 8 I’m now 36 and have never known different and have never set foot on a value resort until 4 years ago and now my aunt is teaching me the ropes
You are going to be an expert in no time - that's what's so great about it is that it really is simple - and addictive once you get on the member site to plan vacations!
@@worldofdvc yes it’s so addictive lol I have three staycations on the books right now one in Jan and Feb and one coming up in 28 days it’s a tool that has fixed problems for me while making it that much better
My son is 18 and grew up DVC
No better way to grow up than as a 'child of DVC' ;) - thanks so much for tuning in!
Mine was the grand flo fire sale
Those were some great prices for sure! Congrats on joining the DVC family!
My daughter when off to collage in California and wanted to purchase annual pass so I said okay and wasn’t thinking that may be I might need one too. So her first year in collage we went before she started and seen the DVC cast member. We said not because we didn’t have time and I only had so many day pass. Then summer came and I had to come to help her mover out so we went to Disney after before going home. Again we said no thank you and one day my daughter said what is time share because she been hear but didn’t know what is was. So one day at the mall the DVC cast member asked if we would like to learn about DVC so we said okay. We went to hear about the DVC and thinking to our self we will not be able to purchase because it’s out of our reach. I was shocked that we could purchase and it wasn’t like Hilton or Marriott. In 2011 I think the only other DVC resort was Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas but we were not going out to Florida from Hawaii that’s a long trip. If it was California then we will have to think which one because Aulani we can go any time as long it was open and it would feel like a vacation not in Waikiki. So yes it was my daughter who made me to purchase DVC and it would save us money for paying for hotel stays..
What a great story! THANK YOU so much for sharing - great to hear member stories from Aulani owners and why/how they purchased - thank you for tuning in!
I’ll never do a 1 bedroom with my kids. 1 bedroom if it’s just me & my wife. 2 bedrooms if the kids come. Also I always cook at least one meal on vacation.
It really is so nice having that full kitchen! Thanks so much for tuning in!
we bought cause it was cheap
Right on! Thanks so much for tuning in!
We purchased in 2023. I always wanted my own DVC contract (grew up a DVC kid), but hadn't pulled the trigger yet. Then, two things happened. First, my Dad passed suddenly, so I was thrown into a tailspin of nostalgia- going through photos of our trips over the years, remembering his favorite rides and foods, etc. Second, I finally got my husband and kids out to Disneyland, where my husband fell in love with the original park (and DCA). Nostalgia on my end + his newfound love of Disneyland and desire to have the best chance possible of securing a room while out there led us to 250 points at VDH. (now to just convince him to let me buy some WDW points too...)
What an amazing story....thank you so much for taking the time to share - it's truly what membership is all about!