If you could do it all again...?

[heymagic]

With what you now know as a veteran DVCer what would you do? What home resort? How many points to begin. What year/month? Resale or new? Anything else? And why to all of the above. That's the question two of my daughters asked me, but I'm not a DVCer! Yet! ;) So if you care to share please do so.

Thank You,

http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/heymagic/MandGLaurelHardy.jpg

[This message was edited by heymagic on 02-21-01 at 11:30 PM.]

[Peggy Sue]

I would have bought sooner than 1997. Purchased more points than our initial 220..but still would have selected OKW as our home resort. We now have 450 points, with 350 at OKW and 100 at BWV. We hope to add additional points when BCV become available.

Use year..Ours is December..that's what was available when we purchased. Didn't understand importance of use year, and guide wasn't too good at explaining it to us. Now that I understand how things work, ideally, I would have liked a July use year. We vacation more often during the slow seasons..November-December and sometimes in May. It makes it easier to bank/borrow or cancel a reservations without penalty if your use year isn't that the same as your actual travel month. However, with proper management we have no problem with the use year we have.

We purchased direct from Disney. We may have done better with a resale, but I've seen recent posts here that demonstrate current prices and resales are fairly close. We had no intention of even looking at a time share when we were on vacation in 1997...but we were hooked before the tour ended..and the rest as they say is history!

Have a wonderful day!

[minnie mouse]

Well I purchased resale at Boardwalk and I am glad on both of those.

But I only purchased 150 point contract and I wish would of purchased at least 200 points.
We like going for at least 10 days every year and with a small amount of points I am limited to a studio.
And I would like to add more points to my Boardwalk contract with my same use year, but since Boardwalk is sold out I have to go resale.
And it is not easy to find a contract with less than 100 points with my use year. And since I can't afford right now to buy anything larger I'm kinda stuck with my 150 points. So right now I have my finger crossed something will come up.

[bunnymkc]

We bought 220 in 1997 at OKW and added 50 points at BWV in 1998 all from Disney. Wish we would have bought them all at BWV as our family likes going to BWV, we have only had one problem getting ressies at BWV and we stayed at OKW which was OK, but I found with the grandkids even though they are little ones they liked BWV better. It just seems like "home" to us. Am still looking to buy more but can't do it at this time but I have to say this was the best thing that we did and wish we had had at least 400 as we go 2-3 times a year and we could even go more. For anyone looking to buy I SAY DON'T WAIT DO IT NOW!! It is so right for us and we have more than gotten our money's worth as we have gone down at least 11 times since we bought and just think how much that would have cost....Marianne

[heymagic]

So,minnie mouse if you're puchasing a resale on a sold out resort get enough points to start? And, Peggy Sue, why would you stick with OKW as your "home" resort? :)


Thank you,

http://www.geocities.com/hey_magic/MandGLaurelHardy.jpg

[heymagic]

I have 4 grand children with another one on the way, so your comment about them liking BWV more than OKW leads me to ask why? What do you suppose they like about it more?

Thank you,

http://www.geocities.com/hey_magic/MandGLaurelHardy.jpg

[robinb]

We bought into DVC 2 months after staying on-site for the first time. We bought 230 points in a resale for $55 per point at OKW and we enjoyed that last year and a half of the free park passes. Our use year of September works great for us. We've stayed at any resort we wanted to with our OKW points. I've been able to stay at OKW, BWV and VB with my points and I had a reservation at VWL in May until I had to cancel it. I have reservations at BWV for NYE 2001/2002. In short: we bought as soon as we could, we got the best price we could, we saved a bunch on park passes, and we have flexibility to stay where we want to. Life is good.


-- Robin

[wdwnut]

we should have purchased when we first heard about dvc during one of our 1993 vacations. this would have given us a nice starting base of points at okw. we finally bought into dvc at bwv (initial purchase of 210 pts. and 150 pt. add on later), directly through disney. when we bought the original points, the mortage rate offered by disney was about 2 points less than any offered by the banks locally or any associated with the resale brokers.

[dianeschlicht]

We would have bought in sooner. We started thinking about it in 1992, but didn't do it until 1997. What a waste of all that good time we could have been saving while still staying on-site!

We started with 230 points at OKW and added on 150 points also at OKW. We should have done the larger point range at first, since the add on points ended up costing us more per point.

We would still do OKW. We love the quieter pace there and also the bigger units and better point value, not to mention the lower maintainance fees.

We love our DVC. Do you think any of us ever have enough points? We seem to have the right number for us right now. We have been able to travel as many times as we have wanted and have even had enough to do an exchange to Hawaii. My dream is to have enough points to someday stay at OKW for the whole coldest month of the winter! :)

Disneydiane

[Beth]

We bought 300 pts in 1997, then added on 65 the first of January, 1998.

To do it again, I would have split my points into two contracts so that, in the event we have to sell for whatever reason, we would have had the option to sell "half" of them, instead of all of them.

They say that use-year doesn't really matter, but I've gotten stuck more than once with mine. When we bought in, we thought our favorite month to travel would be October, but our plans have changed. I wish we had a use year in August or September.

This is a great thread -- good things for potential buyers to consider...

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/dvcmbrokw/BethScottDon.jpg" height ="95" width="75">
MVMCP, 2000

[dianeschlicht]

I forgot about that one!

Disneydiane

[nuthut]

I would have purchased in 1993 and purchased 2000 points in ten 200 point packages. Then I could have passed them to the kids in an even amount.

Every year you want you lose the current year points for the cost of your annual dues.

OKW is the best.

[Disnydad]

In hindsight we wish we had:

1. Purchased years ago.

2. Puchased more points. We bought 200 at VWL and have not even used any yet. We do have two reservations in (Nov 01 & Jan 02). We wish we had gotten 270 points. That would get us a 2 bedroom during the times we go most often.

Oh well......

Don, DVC/VWL 2000

[spiceycat]

I made a big mistake in 1992. Because I lived in a state (Al) where DVC could not sale when I called and asked about I was told that they could give me no information over the phone so they made me an appointment. When we meet with them I was told that I could have 265 points at $47.00 a point because I could not buy before. Well I brought then got talked out of it by relatives and friends. Then I took my brother and his family down and we stayed at DL - that trip cost we $2,740. So when I was offered in the mail 190 points at $52, I jumped at it. No regrets, we have been every year. My first add on was at OKW I now have 240 points there, 100 points at VB, 50 points at BW, 60 points at VWL, so 450 points total. OKW is home, I brought at VB and BW because of the slides (my niece and nephew really like slides). I brought at VWL because I love WL.
I miss the free tickets (a other reason I should kept the 92), but I love DVC.

[jennybobenny]

Let's see, what I <u>wouldn't</u> change is buying into BWV. We don't want to have to rent a car while we're on vacation and since BWV is right in the middle of all the action we don't feel we need to. I also wouldn't change our use year. We tend to vacation in the winter months (Nov/Dec/Jan) and September works out great for us.

I <u>would</u> change the original amount of points we bought. We purchased the minimum of 150 with the idea of going to WDW every other year and thus having 300 pts to work with. It didn't work out that way. No sooner were we home from our 1st trip when I started planning the 2nd, and the 3rd etc. etc. I'm thrilled that we managed to get a 100 pt. add-on at BWV with the same Sept. use year before they sold out last year.

Like everyone else, I wish we bought into DVC sooner. But it actually took a trip in 1998 to re-capture that Disney magic for me, and introduce it to my husband. After coming home and reading this board for the next 2 months we bought into BWV in early 1999. We both agree it was one of the best decisions we've ever made.

My husband is somewhat of a workaholic and the idea of using DVC points before they expire forces him to take real vacations. Not like the long weekend in Maine we just had where he was on the phone/computer for part of it and ended up cutting it short by one day because he had to get back to the office. In WDW he's 'reachable' in an emergency but 'unavailable' for those day-to-day problems that he would normally stress over.

DVC also gives us the opportunity to take family members with us on vacation. In 1998 my parents paid their portion of the room we stayed in at the Contemporary, but in Nov 2000 we treated them to one of the 2 bedrooms in a villa at BWV. The look of awe on my father's face when he asked if 'all these rooms are ours?' was priceless. In Nov 2001 we're taking my parents again, and this time dh's mother and brother are coming too. I can't wait to see their faces. :)

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<font face="Class Garmnd BT"><font color="ff69b4"><big>Jennybºoº benny</big></font>
<font color="9400d3">~~DVC Member~~
Onsite: Poly '76, Contemp '98, BWV '99, CBR '00, BWV '00, CBR '01
Offsite: '74 '80 '82 '88
Next trip: AKL/BWV~June '01, BWV~Nov '01</font>
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[shelbyjosh]

We would not have waited so long to buy. Our first trip to WDW (as a family) was in 1997. I would've liked to get DH to go there for our honeymoon (92) and then he would've been turned on by the magic. Instead, it took him 2 years to convince to buy. We have 231 OKW points and we want more!! We haven't even been DVCers for a year. If only we would have bought back in 1993. We love our DVC

8 days till we go home!! :)

Michelle
DVC 2000
WDW...Been There, Done That, Going Back!

[fkj2]

Unless Dis has changed the rules, the points will all expire at the same time, regardless of when they were purchased, and the property reverts to Disney. It is cost effective to buy them earlier rather than later, so that you have the greatest use of them.

[Towncrier]

Another vote for earlier. We were at WDW in 1993, but we didn't bother looking at DVC. I noticed all the reps (they had IBM ThinkPad computers) in their various kiosks, but it wasn't until 1995 that we decided to look into DVC (and to purchase our initial 210 points). I'm glad that we went resale on our second purchase. We got more points in 1999 for the same money as we got in 1995 direct from Disney.

[LauraS]

Well, I would have bought sooner for sure. Initially my husband wasn't sold on the DVC and now he's one of the biggest supporters of it. We bought in 99' and we really should have bought in 97' or so, once we realized that we were really hooked on Disney.

I also would buy a resale if I had it to do all over again. I could have saved some money since we paid cash for our DVC membership. Points-wise I'm happy with the 250 points we bought. It's working well for us now and probably will for another 5 years or so. I can see us adding on 100 or so down the road, definitely BWV and definitely a resale.

I'm *thrilled* with our choice of BWV as a home resort. I have the 11 month window that I seem to need more and more and I can pretty easily grab anything at OKW at the 7 month window or less if I need it.

Laura

[nickglover]

we probaby would not join, if we had it to do over - we like Vero Beach, but are disappointed with the limited availability in Orlando, and with the lack of value if using points at other Disney resorts or in the concierge collection - also, the concierge collection does not include enough properties - we feel too limited in our travel options - it is too bad all the II properties require a 1-week stay - we have been to all the Disney parks and do not plan to go to the parks every year - Orlando does not offer too much except for entertainment parks - we like Vero, and will realize savings there, but will probably sell in a few years and then "pay as we go" for vacations anywhere we please.

[BillM]

We bought from Disney in 2/98. At that time OKW, BWV, HH and VB were available. We looked at all of them and chose OKW. It best fits our lifestyle.
What I would do over again would buy a resale. Didn't know anything about how to do that at the time. We bought 250 pts at OKW and have since added twice at OKW of 50 point each. Also a 50 point at HH. The only thing I would do over is add a 100 point package instead of the two 50's. In case of resale the 100 pt is easier and more economical to sell.
I do think use year is important. We were only offered Dec when we bought as it was 3 weeks before sell out at OKW. We would have been better off with an aug or Sept.

[Lesley]

Well, I'm not exactly a veteran DVC'r (make my first ressies next week!) but here is what I would do differently-

I wish we had more seriously considered DVC when we first heard of it in 1994, though I'm still not sure we could have done it then.

I'm very happy with our home resort, BWV, though I have yet to stay there. The location is perfect for my family....dh and I love World Showcase and my ds loves the studios (dd is not yet a year and has so far only shown a preference for character meals!).

I think I should have been a bit less "practical" about the number of points we bought.....after trying to plan out the next several years I realize that I want more points! Not so much to make our vacations longer but so that I'd feel more comfortable splurging on larger accomodations, preferred views, more weekends, and maybe even using some points outside of WDW...at Vero, HH or the Concierge Collection. I think a few years down the road we may almost double our points with a BWV resale....or just add a few points here and there at other properties..HH if we move to NC, maybe Vero, possibly VWL.


Lesley


1979 Contemporary
1992 Off-site
1994 Carribean Beach
1999 Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs
2000 Polynesian and Old Key West
2002 Boardwalk Villas

[Peggy Sue]

>>And, Peggy Sue, why would you stick with OKW as your "home" resort>>

heymagic - We love OKW. When we took the tour in 1997, we were at the BWV sales office. They offered to take us over to OKW so we could see both on-site properties and decide which was best for us. We fell in love with OKW. It is really all a matter of how you like to vacation. For us, the larger units, beautiful grounds, quiet, parking right in front of unit were all big selling points. We knew immediately this was where we wanted to call "home". When OKW announced they had more points for sale last year, we immediately added more because we found we were planning more vacations than we initially thought we would. Before DVC, we went to WDW every 4 or 5 years. After joining DVC the number of yearly trips just seems to keep increasing! This year we already have 3 trips reserved.

We also enjoy the Boardwalk, and added our last 100 points there so we would have the opportunity to book there with the 11 month window. We like the BW area for our shorter get aways and you can't beat the location for getting to Epcot or MGM.

Although we love the MK, we spend most of our park time at Epcot, AK and MGM. WLV's are beautiful, but their location isn't a big draw for us. We decided to wait for the BC villas before we add more points because that will provide us with another 11 month window for making reservations in a location that appeals to the way we like to vacation.

The great thing about DVC is choice...With the exception of WLV's, we have been to all the DVC resorts and each one is charming and a great place to stay!

I think one of the reasons we keep returning to DVC properties for our vacations since joining in 1997 is we just can't face going back to a standard hotel room for a week! We are so hooked on the 1 bedroom and larger units..It is ture vacation bliss!

Good luck with your decision!

Have a wonderful day!

[TampaDisneyFreaks]

We bought in April 2000 at BWV. We bought 250 pts. 270 would have been more reasonable for us and now I think 350-450 would be a much better number. We like to go to Disney for weekends, but with the point costs on Friday and Saturday, it is hard even for a studio to do that more than once and still make the other trips we like to do (10 days in Sept at BWV, 4 or 5 days in Dec. on property, 3 days or so in Spring on property). We would like to do the week long cruise, but we would have to borrow points to make it worthwhile, plus we would still NEED to go for the 10 days in Sept.. So needing more points is a definite must. We regret not buying in earlier, but when we first toured in 1997, finances were tight and our guide was a huge turn-off. It was harder to get my wife to overcome her negativity towards our guide (we got a different guide when we joined in 2000, and he is awesome)than it was to free up the money to buy in. Plus we ended up buying at BWV and we enjoy that resort more than OKW (we love OKW, just love BWV a little more)

[Bennet]

One more sooner.

BWV is great with kids as you are walking distance to two parks. (pushing the stroller back for a nap at noon is easy and conveniant)

Our little guys love MGM shows and Tappestry at Epcot. The Keaster coaster is cool and while we have pool hopped to YC it isn't that much more popular with my guys.

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Disney silliness: Buzz's Spin, Parks, Parades MORE TAPESTRY and MORE OF THE Unfortunate Footwear of Walt Disney World: http://members.home.net/dunlapsdisney/

[heymagic]

I'm churning all this great information through my old mill! ;) Buying in sooner is not an option of course, but I think many of you are saying that buying enough points to start is better. If you start with say 350-400 points at OKW for example, is that better than adding points later at other resorts? Would it give added flexibility when making reservations to add them later? The use-year of September seems like a good choice from the posts too.
I want to say that the best reason I have found for joining the DVC is all of you. Any vacation is very dependent to us on the people who are there, and the "community" feeling I get from all of you and your willingness to share your experiences is very important to my way of thinking. :)
Can you bear two more questions?
Is there a time,in your opinions, when it is too late to buy in? Also, does the "E-Bay" thing bother you? Can DVC get impacted by folks buying lots of points and taking the "hard to get" days? And, more importantly to me, does that threaten, in some way,the great "community" spirit that helps to make the DVC a good thing?

Thanks so much,

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[This message was edited by heymagic on 02-21-01 at 11:32 PM.]

[BobH]

I bought 240 points to start. I would buy 300 if I had it to do over. Reason being you can't use the DVC system to its potential without having between 200-300 points. Get some of the point charts from a guide and figure out what type of vacations (and how many) you want to take each year - then you will have an idea of what meets your needs. You will see that you are not going to get to go outside of Disney with any fewer points.
I am a relatively new member but I have been going to Disney for 25 years and researched DVC for 2 years before buying. I would also stress buying at WDW. It seems to me this is where the majority of your trips should be if you are going to get the most out of the vacation club. Good luck!