First Time Buyer- Bought into BLT!

[Disneymoon0909]

Hi all :)

My fiance and I just bought into BLT on Sunday and I am having a little of buyers remorse, not because we don't want it but because I am getting married one month from today, my fiance is jobless, and though my job is secure and we have money in savings I am terrified we are over our heads. We got an amazing deal though: $5 off per point and a free 3 night cruise next year so we really felt like we couldn't pass it up...can you guys please help convince me we made the right choice? I am so excited and happy but this is the biggest purchase I have ever made and I need :goodvibes !

Thanks,

Holly

[BBG-BLT]

Well, we're a bit farther along then you (4 kids and 10 years farther:lmao:) but all I have to say is I wish we had done it sooner. Our first stay is next month - we've stayed off-site more times than I want to admit.

You don't say how many points you bought but if it's reasonable - enjoy your decision.

Welcome HOME:banana:

[Crystal_27]

Well, I'd say that, if you made the decision to buy without really researching how it would affect your finances, perhaps it may be time to review your budget and make sure that everything is in line. DVC can very much be an impulse buy, and, it's best to really look and make sure that you can afford (i) the monthly payment (if applicable); and (ii) the annual maintenance fees. Only you can answer whether or not you can "afford" DVC. Either way, best of luck! :goodvibes

[lah3hh]

I understand your feelings right now regarding Buyers Remorse. I am married to the King of Buyers Remose Group and we worked through this when we first bought DVC 11 years ago.

If this helps you, initially my DH was extremely nervous about our 210 point contract. He was sure we had made a bad decision and would not even tell family members we were DVC members. He felt they would tell him repeatedly how bad of a decision it was for us to spend our money that way.

Fast forward 11 years....DH and I love our DVC. So much to the point we now have 1200 points!!!! It has ended up being one of the best things we could have done for our marriage, our family life and memories with our daughter AND we have taken family members on trips with us many times. No one in the family thinks we made a bad decision and are truly jealous of the numerous wonderful vacations we have been able to experience. Some of the family is so in love with DVC that just last fall my youngest brother and his wife became DVC members themselves. They have experienced with us first hand the fantastic value you get from being a DVC member.

I think maybe you just have a lot going on right now with your marriage and all. Let the decision just settle a little bit and I bet you will not have Buyers Remorse for long.

I wish you and your fiance many DVC years of travel and building a life of memories together. Oh and by the way....Welsome Home!!!! :dance3::dance3:

[lah3hh]

OK I made a big typo!!! How silly of me!!! Welcome Home!!!!

[Disneymoon0909]

Thanks :)
For reference, we only bought 160 points, our dvc guide told us that would be enough for us with the way we currently vacation. we have already banked this years points as our UY is Feb. I feel good about it but I think I am overanalyzing things. I KNOW we can afford it, it's just a HUGE purchase, lol. Thanks again!

[disneynutz]

The only way buying into the DVC makes sense is if you will save money by doing so. You are buying a pre-paid hotel room for the next 50 years. Based upon your purchase, that means that you intend to visit WDW every other year until 2059. If your plans change your choices are: rent out your points, forfeit your points, or sell your contract.

The mistake many make is that their ownership forces them to vacation at WDW more often than they would like. The accommodations are just one of the costs associated with your vacation. Travel expenses and food can add an additional $2000 a year to your budget.

Based upon the number of resales and their price, and the number of members renting their points, it seems that many find themselves over extended in todays economy.

[Ed T]

DVC is an investment into the future with great quality vacation opportunities and memories. You are doing the right thing to get comfortable with your decision

As for your deal of getting $ 5.00 off the pricing and the cruise I think that if you had a member referral you could do better on your pricing deal.

There is a post on the boards with many people offering to be a referral for you.

As I understand it right now for BLT the based price is $ 112 with the $ 5.00 off, but with a member referral you could get and additional $ 6.00 off per point for the 160 pts you bought.

I would check with your sales guide again to make sure you are getting the best deal out there.

Good luck

[toniosmom]

The mistake many make is that their ownership forces them to vacation at WDW more often than they would like. The accommodations are just one of the costs associated with your vacation. Travel expenses and food can add an additional $2000 a year to your budget.


While I agree with disneynutz in theory, I just wanted to say that you can also take a WDW trip with little expense. If you don't already have one, sign up for the Disney Visa card and charge everything you can (paying it off as you go). You can accumulate reward points pretty quickly which can pay for your theme park tickets, dining, souveniors, etc. I also have a 2nd card where I accumulate points for airfare.

You can also do a park-less visit. The WDW resorts are vacations within themselves and many people have stated on the DIS that they occasionally go without visiting one park the entire trip.

Another way to save some cash is to cook in the room. It really isn't that big of a deal to eat in the room -- some say they don't cook at all on vacation, but if money is an issue, then it's certainly worth making some quick meals in the room. It's also a huge timesaver as well!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and Welcome Home to BLT!!!

[BLTtinkerbell]

I can tell you that my DH & I thought about DVC for many years before we bought in this past June. We just weren't sure about DVC because since having children we have always stayed at CR & couldn't see ourselves staying any where else (before kids we stayed at CBR & different hotels at Disney Village - AKA DTD, many times). We still took our regular WDW vacations, paying cash for our rooms at the CR. We always said if CR had DVC we would buy it. When we heard about BLT we were very excited but still took our time thinking about it. I have to say we have a great Guide who never put any pressure on us at all. After looking at all the numbers & making sure this was right for us, we bought our first DVC & are looking forward to many great years of memories. After we sent in the signed paperwork, we each had times when we felt like maybe we shouldn't have this, but that sooned passed & we were very happy again. Then last month, my husband lost his job of over 20 years & we were again concerned w/our choice to buy DVC. After we calmed down & weren't in as much shock, we again looked at the numbers & realized we can still do this. I guess you need to think about what kind of accomadations you need, how much money would you spend on a room without DVC & does DVC save you money or cause you to spend more. I do think DVC is a luxury, but one my family will get a lot of use out of because we were going to stay at CR anyway.
Good luck & congratulations on your up coming wedding!

[tractortippin]

Congratulations!

Its different for everyone. We waited and waited and werent sure it was a good deal and now that we own I wish we had bought yrs ago when we first started thinking about it.

[jcksn65]

Hey there,
The biggest advantage of buying direct from Disney is the speed of the transaction so you can use your points that much sooner or at least make reservations. The advantage of purchasing a resale is that you can save a lot of money. The price of most resale contracts are much cheaper than buying from Disney. Remember that some contracts expire before others so take that into account when looking at the price of points. I still believe that resale is a much better deal. I recommend checking some of the resale sites on the internet and they show what they have available. If you don't see something you like you can wait a while or contact them and let them know what you are looking for. If you do purchase a resale it take about two months to close on the deal where the points are available to you.....:rotfl:

[jcksn65]

Thanks everyone!! We're leaning toward just buying into BLT vs. resale, but I'll check out the e-book - that's a great idea. Do you get to pick your use year, by the way?

Overall, I'm so happy that DH is on board (or nearly). He knows that I have no trouble making a commitment to Disney!

[jcksn65]

Hello,
if you can do without BLT then you will be fine at BWV or BCV.
BLT ends in 2060, BWV and BCV end in 2042.
BLT will come with last years points as well as this year - if you buy thru DVC.
BWV and BCV - might come with last year points - but mostly it will be next years points. This is something you can see when you are looking.

[jcksn65]

if you have any idea or your own experience about the bought into BLT, so please tell me soon ......

[jcksn65]

Let start from outside.
Parking lot of Contemporary Resort

[jcksn65]

Ok I will give you A lot knowledge of BLT or (Bay Lake Towers) DVC at Disney's Contemporary.

[jcksn65]

I would like to get a DVC membership if I could afford it. This may be the one I get for its monorail access.

[jcksn65]

Hmmm, perhaps some suggestions or comparisons on the other properties to give those of us who are thinking about getting a membership an idea on what our home resort should be.

[jcksn65]

Are you Talk about some old Disney Home resort?

[jcksn65]

My dear I just got back from my WDW vacation and sat through a DVC presentation with my friend (who got a membership). DVC is really cool and well worth the money. They have financing options and since the "loan" is through Disney, it doesn't hit your credit report... at least that's how I understood it. If you ever get a chance to do the DVC presentation (and haven't already), I strongly recommend it! Lots of great information on thee program.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge would be a great home resort. You get the great Disney theming, views of their Savannah and the animals that live there. The other DVC resort I would consider is the Beach Club... great location and LOVE the rooms, very comfy. This is where we stayed for our trip.. love it! There are a few more DVC resorts but I'm not sure I really enjoy the theme of those resorts.

I will have to wait to make the final decision until I see the completed Bay Lake Tower... the proximity of the Magic Kingdom and access to the Monorail is awesome... but the hotel itself doesn't hold a lot for me. Doesn't feel very contemporary until you get to a room.

[jcksn65]

The thing to remember is that your "home resort" can always be booked 11 months in advance. Its 7 months for any other DVC resort. I have to say I'm not a fan of BLT - it ruins the skyline, it is architecturally ugly on its exterior and the points per night are ludicrous just for a view of the fireworks.

[jcksn65]

I think the previous posters have summed things up nicely.

I bought into DVC originally at BLT last June, partly because there were some nice incentives going and partly because that's where I wanted my home resort to be. It was convenient that the points were available for making a reservation very quickly (though you cannot spend them until after you close). Even though I was late to the game, I still managed to buy in prior to BLT opening, so that was really the driver for me as to when I could use the points.

However [full disclosure] at the beginning of this year I added on at Wilderness Lodge via resale. It was a stress-free experience that went very smoothly, and I was happy with the price.

You can of course buy BLT points resale, although you may find yourself more limited getting a specific Use Year--it just depends on what's on offer at the time and how patient or flexible you are willing to be.

Did I mention that I have still never taken the DVC tour? I have now stayed at AKV and BWV with a trip coming up later this year to BLT (FINALLY!).

If you haven't checked it out already, I HIGHLY recommend the Passporter DVC Guide E-book.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[New York Digger]

Been doing Disney for 22 years now.. I always stayed at the contemp..4kthen to 7k now every trip with airfare .I am a king for 7-10 days everytime I am down here !

BLT is the best for kids in my eyes.. MONORAIL for 2 parks, or even walk to MK...

got BLT and do 2 trips a year i have 300 points now and looking for another 100..

as time goes by you will settle it into your finances....160 points... what 250 a month or so ? then 800 mnt. a year.. if you plan things out it will work its way threw.. 250 is what 65 a week.. 65$ a week pull and push and see what you can do to afford it..

GOOD LUCK and remember this conversation 10 years from now when you make the last payment and say .. GEE and back then we never thaught we can do it !!!

ENJOY !!!pirate:pirate: