Hi Kimberly,
My husband and I became DVC members back in 2001, and have vacationed 2-3 times per year to Walt Disney World ever since!
Now since every families vacation habits are different, and I can only speak for myself when I say it is the best investment in family fun we have ever made.
By always traveling off season, we have been able to vacation 2-3 times per year using our vacation points. I will say that when we purchased I was pregnant with our first child, and have added on twice since then -- two more children, and two more point add-ons. We simply needed the extra space and now always stay in a 2-br villa.
With the vacation club, your vacations can be booked either seven months in advance (at your home resort), or eleven months in advance at other DVC resorts.
There can be many different ways that people determine when they "break even", but I think typically it is believed that within seven years you've paid for the rest of your vacations going forward. I know that if I were to add up the rates for "regular" reservations for all of the trips we've taken, I would have spent much more than I did with our initial investment.
So my best advice is to contact
www.disneyvacationclub.com to get more information. If you have the opportunity to take a tour and see the presentation, it is a fantastic, no pressure way to have all of your questions answered.