Sorry, late replying to this thread.

We have owned DVC for at least 15 years and are very happy with it. We enjoy using it ourselves plus we often host family.

The initial investment was high but spread out over the years it isn't bad at all. Adding in annual maintenance fees then calculating the cost I figure I'm saving well over 50% off the cost of the room.

For example, I calculate that we are paying the equivalent of $2,500 total for a week in a two-bedroom villa. For the same week, a hotel room (single room, no sofa, no kitchen) is going for $850 per night and another site lists a price of $2,200/night for the two-bedroom. Without DVC there is no way we would be staying at that particular resort, and probably not on Disney property at all.

Over the last six years our maintenance fees have increased about 5% per year. The increases have not been uniform: prior to COVID they were about 3%, in 202 they actually decreased, and in the two years since COVID the increases have averaged 10%.

For us, DVC is a very good value. If we stopped enjoying Disney the value would plummet. We *might* be able to find more affordable accommodations but not with the location and amenities (room size) that we have now. Maintenance fees increase most years but so does the price of renting a room.

I've rented many times at Westgate and did enjoy it, especially when the kids were young. Never understood why anyone would buy one when a very nice unit could be rented for about $150 per night. I never had any problem getting a unit, even over Christmas and New years.

Just curious, why not rent at the locations you want to visit? There are literally thousands of rentals both the US and Europe. No purchase cost, no yearly maintenance fees, just a daily fee to rent.

Some people are intimidated by high pressure sales people, that's why.

You can "buy" timeshares on eBay for $1 or slightly more. That shows you how undesirable many of them are to own. You cannot compare a timeshare to owning a condo or home. The timeshare you don't really own anything except a contract to pay maintenance fees every year.

Because you can rent the same place for a fraction of the cost.

$150 per day X7 X10=$10,500. So for less than 11 grand you can have the same experience.

Where can you rent a two-bedroom apartment in a destination location for $150/day? Most hotels I've stayed at lately charge more than that for a single room.

I was not talking about that type of stay.

At a nice place, resort style, quality......Here is the Marriott Grand in Hilton Head:

Two bed room, Kitchen, Living room: $430 to $640 per night.

Like both of ours until the maintenance fees went out of site. Sold them privately for a song years ago.
It is amazing that I still get phone calls from those Timeshare companies that have popped up all over wanting you to sell yours to them. Must be big money in resales.

Question: Does a timeshare owner have any control over the increase in the maintenance fees, or is the sky the limit?

We have a week in Aruba in December and we love it. We have owned it for 6 years and enjoy just going and sitting on the beach. Also the food in Aruba is excellent.

We’ve owned a total of 12 over the years all in Aruba we are now down to 3 and plan on keeping them. For us they’ve been great and don’t regret owning them.

Depends.

Some have annual inflation limits.

Most, once sold out, are run/controlled by an owner committee.
Maint Fees go right back into the property..............there is no profit component.

Since units are sold "by the week".......it's easy for the site can have 5,000, 6,000, 8,000 owners..............so the committee could have a ton of whiners and headaches.

They operate like mini CDD's.

The owner committee and inflation limits sound fine, if they are mandated in the original timeshare contract. But, if not, an original buyer is basically signing a blank check to the developer for future assessments and maintenance fee increases. I think that is why some owners actually need to pay a law firm to get rid of their timeshare.

It's called Due Diligence.

Too much law firm advertising.

Like buying into TV (or any real estate), read all documents, understand restrictions, learn about fees.....and buy if you like.
(& no, it's really not high pressure)

Look at real examples.............look at many posters on this site......buying and selling and happy.