about to sign the papers to own a piece of DVC...

[markP]

Hi all…

My wife and I are about to sign our lives away... err, um... I mean become part of a wonderful adventure for the next 40 years. Actually we can't wait, but want to hear from anyone that can offer any suggestions, experiences since becoming members (good and bad), future tips, etc. So far we see everything, PRETTY MUCH, is like they said it would be, but we do see some things here and there that they neglected to tell us as they took our down payment. One thing is the guy told us that some of these places are for DVC members only, but it seems that’s not true… is it? We bought into Vero Beach, so if anyone has been there, we'd love to hear from you guys too.

Looking forward to becoming a DVC member!

Thanks all.
-M-

:)

[yesdisneyfool]

We bought at OKW (sight unseen) and it more than we could ever imagine. The flexibility to vacation at our home resort and others is a big plus. We've only been members since 2000 and have not be disappointed yet. Congratulations and enjoy the time of your life for the next 40 years. :)

[Credit Man]

Vero is a wonderful resort. Very relaxing and very beautiful. We loved it so much the first time we went, we purchased and add-on there.

[chris1gill]

I just have a question, do you think that you will be doing most of your vacationing at Vero? The rule of thumb here on the boards, is that you should buy where you think you would most likely want to stay. Sometimes that 4 month booking preference is important.

[markP]

Actually we will probably spend most of our time at Disney (Beach Club and Old Key West), but Vero allowed us to sell back the points at a better rate to Disney so we could lower the down payment and make it more doable. We heard we can buy more points in the future and have a second home base. Is that true?

[jel0511]

Yes, you can buy more points at a different DVC resort, but you will only have the 11 month booking window with those new points, and not your points at Vero. For instance, let say you're buying 150 points at Vero and next year you add-on 50 points at BCV. You would only be able to use those 50 points(possibly up to 150 with banking and borrowing) at the 11 month window and would have to wait until 7 months to use any points from your Vero contract for any reservation at BCV. At 7 months out, you could combine all your points and book at any DVC location. I own at VWL and plan on staying there most times. I will try different locations as I can, but it isn't a guarantee. If you're looking at staying most of the time at WDW, I'd buy BCV or look into a resale. You might find yourself shutout sometimes, especially during the more popular times, which sometimes aren't the same as popular times at WDW.

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by markP
Actually we will probably spend most of our time at Disney (Beach Club and Old Key West), but Vero allowed us to sell back the points at a better rate to Disney so we could lower the down payment and make it more doable. We heard we can buy more points in the future and have a second home base. Is that true?

Keep in mind that you may have a problem booking accomodations at BCV & OKW - it will depend on how flexible you are with dates and the time of the year you want to visit. For example, you may not be able to book during November and December as well as other Holiday time periods (very popular times for DVC members to visit) without using the waitlist. The waitlist may or may not come through for you. (That would be a problem for me, because we fly and to get the best airfares, we have to lock in fairly soon. I would not do well with the resulting stress).

As others have said, it is best to buy where you plan/want to stay the most often. The dollars you are saving may result in some level of frustration for you. That said, VB is a beautiful resort. We loved our stays there.

BTW, did you notice that VB has the highest annual dues of all the DVC resorts?


Whatever you eventually decide, I hope to wlecome you home very soon!

[chris1gill]

Hmm, I would really recommend against buying Vero with the intent of vacationing mostly on property. As someone else said, you could find yourself shut out at particular times of the year. The only exception (to buying where you plan to stay most often)I would say, is if you NEVER plan more than 7 months out, or you travel for short trips (home resort wouldn't matter under these two exceptions). I can say that it is really difficult for us to plan on booking 12 nights all at one time 7 months out... But, if you're booking 4 or 5, it really shouldn't be a problem, unless it's spring break or Christmas week....

As someone pointed out, Vero has the most expensive dues.

If I were you I'd look at buying an OKW resale. www.atimeshare.com is one site, along with www.dvc-resales.com

[Terry S]

Just another opinion, buy where you plan to stay most often! You here this motto on this board more than any other and for good reason. You have the 11 month booking window advantage at your home resort. Seriously consider what others are saying here before signing at Vero. DVC is wonderful but you really wan't to own at the resort that you plan to stay most often or you might end up disappointed and its a good amount of money to end up disappointed. If you think you would want to stay at BCV or OKW most often I would reccommend calling your guide and having him re-write your contract with BCV as your home resort.

[Richyams]

I agree with "buy where you want to stay", but that's not why I posted here, I just wanted to see if my 'site sponser' thingy came up, sorry.

[markP]

This has all been great advice, Thank You all so much. Now it seems my wife and I may need to rethink our strategy a bit. Not sure what we'll do now. I do know we love Disney so much we do want to buy into it and want to use it mainly in WDW. I looked at the URLs chris1gill posted and if I'm seeing it right the points are as much as $15.00 less than buying from Disney direct (depending on the resort). Could this be right, or I'm I just too confused this early in the morning? It seems the Beach Club Villas are hard to come buy, are they that nice or is it just 'cause they're the new kids on the block?

Thanks again all..... Keep the good and bad comments coming, we have 'till Friday to sign.

-M-

[chris1gill]

Mark,

you are seeing it correctly, the points are running about 15.00 dollars less via the resale market. There is a 400.00 closing cost, but sometimes it can be worked out that the seller will pay or the cost will be split between buyer & seller... That's why I posted those links, I wanted you to see that you could buy into OKW for about the same money as Vero with the 15.00 incentive... If I were you, I'd go with OKW or BWV's... BW is the same basic location as BCV... Getting BCV's is about 80.00/pt. going through Disney... Good luck & let us know what you decide!

[dianeschlicht]

I have to agree with the buy where you want to stay mantra, but I will add that OKW is probably a place you can get into on the 7 month booking schedule as long as you aren't looking for a studio or GV.

[Richyams]

Did you salesperson tell you, "Home resort doesn't matter, you can stay where ever you want" ?

This is one of the most common lies told by DVC sales staff.

Home resort does matter. Buying at VB to stay at WDW is not a good idea. The dues are $1 more per point than OKW. Even if the dues were the same or lower, being forced to deal with the seven month window for the next forty years so that you can save a couple dollars up front illustrates that old saying perfectly, penny wise, dollar foolish.

I do hope you reconsider and buy on site. A resale is a much better way to go.

[markP]

Yes... the sales person did tell us it didn't matter what we buy. Well... what he told us was that 7 months is more than enough time to reserve a room (of any size) and there's never been a problem. But according to most everyone here, that's not the case. So it seems the sales rep will be getting a phone call tonight or tomorrow. Wonder how bad he wants to keep the sell. ah hahahahaha ;)

So now the question is... which is the better place to buy into, OKW or BW?

Thanks again!

[Richyams]

OKW wins hands down for us. The units are much bigger, you can park in front of your unit, the points per night are lower, the dues are lower, its just the best place in the world.

Ask about availability in a standard view studio at BWV or a Grand Villa at either OKW or BWV in early December, then ask your guide why they lied to you.

There are many sized units and times of year that require the eleven month window. A salesman telling you that you can stay anywhere you want, whenever you want is a low life liar.

I can even quote the rest of the lie...."Most reservations are made less than six months out, so the seven month window is never a problem"

DId they say that too?

[chris1gill]

OK Rich, take a breath here, I know it bugs you when someone is told home resort doesn't matter LOL....

I would put it more gently & say that home resort DOES matter, it matters a lot IMHO... I don't know why your guide said that the 7 month window has never been a problem, maybe he's new to DVC? It seems like quite a blanket statement IMHO... It really depends on your vacation habits? Do you plan more than 7 months out? Do you travel between Thanksgiving & New years (any time between?) or spring break? If you answer NO to these questions, maybe your home resort will not matter...

As for OKW & BW, they are entirely different resorts. Have you been to either? The basic question is one of location. Do you want to be able to walk to EPCOT/MGM & Be in the middle of the action? The rooms are smaller, but they are quiet & for us this is more than enough... Or, do you want a quite resort on a golf course? Depends on what type of vacation you want to have. Many times, you can plan up to 11 months out at one of the DVC resorts & switch it to your desired resort at 7 months out... But, sometimes you won't be able to, particularly if you take long vacations, we go 12 nights & it would be difficult to book all those nights at once without using that 7-11 month booking period...

[markP]

OK... here's one for ya..... forget the 11 and 7 month thing for a second. My wife just found out that we got charged $5.00 more a point than Disney is currently offering. It seems the price for points are going up in July so they diceded to charge us that price... not the current price. Now we know we're pulling out!

[chris1gill]

Huh? I'm confused... The price went up to 80.00/point on June 1st... How much did they charge you? 85.00/point? (then subtract out the 15.00 per point?)

[markP]

Oh... OK, my wife read it here:
TUG Classifieds (http://www.tug1.org/tugads/0-1dname1.html) About 2/3 down the page. I'll take your word for it that it changed in June. Ok... then we're back to the 11 and 7 month thing. :)

I think I better get some work done and just keep my mouth shut.

[chris1gill]

ROFL... Which work would you be getting done? (Calling the resale companies by chance???)

Yup, you're down to the 7/11 month thing :D

[Terry S]

The price went up on June 1st to $80. My understanding is if you had a conversation with your guide BEFORE the June 1st price increase they were extending he $75 to July 1st for those people only.

It really depends on what you are looking for. If you are just happy to be on site in a spacious room, buy re-sale at OKW.

We looked at DVC when they were currently selling BWV and at the time were just not sure (we were a bit concerned about the noise on the boardwalk at night, although most say its not a problem if the doors are shut), after that WLV went up for sale, although it is a beautiful resort it just wasn't for us. We had been staying at Beach Club on all of our trips and really loved the resort so when BCV was annouced as the next DVC resort it was a no brainer for us we were first in line, I didn't mind paying the extra money to get exactly what I wanted. It is just a matter of personal preference as far as the resort themeing, atmosphere and location.