First time buyer looking at BLT

[Mrbruin2k]

Hello all,

Family of 5 (Me, DW, DD6, DD4, DD1) and we have decided that DVC is the way to go. Last year we paid and stayed at BLT in a 1 bedroom. We have been to WDW 4 times having done BLT, GF, BC, and Poly and loved the space afforded by BLT 1BR and convenience with the little ones. That being said, we are all the way in Cali and plan to travel once a year to WDW. Our elementary school system gives a fall break the first week of October every year which coincides with Food and Wine.

Through studying all the posts, we think Feb UY would be good so we can get Oct outside of 7mo and also if we wanted to do a Christmas trip also be inside of 11 month window.

Would you guys recommend getting a 200 point contract and trying to rent or squeeze for the next 2 years in a studio while little one is under 3?
Getting a larger 270pt contract?
Or getting a 160 and separate 100 pt contract?

Also, is it better if I get 2 contracts to have the same month or separate month?

Hoping to score somewhere bw 80-85 for BLT as I have seen a some getting down into that range.

Thanks

 

[Missyrose]

Hello all,

Family of 5 (Me, DW, DD6, DD4, DD1) and we have decided that DVC is the way to go. Last year we paid and stayed at BLT in a 1 bedroom. We have been to WDW 4 times having done BLT, GF, BC, and Poly and loved the space afforded by BLT 1BR and convenience with the little ones. That being said, we are all the way in Cali and plan to travel once a year to WDW. Our elementary school system gives a fall break the first week of October every year which coincides with Food and Wine.

Through studying all the posts, we think Feb UY would be good so we can get Oct outside of 7mo and also if we wanted to do a Christmas trip also be inside of 11 month window.

Your UY has nothing to do with when you can make your reservations. You can make reservations at your home resort 11 months before your check-in day. For any trip, it's a good idea to always make a reservation at your home resort (even if you want to stay at another resort), that way, if you don't get the resort you want when the 7-month window opens, you'll still have somewhere to stay.

Ideally, you want your UY to fall just before when you normally travel. So if you're looking to travel between October and December, you'll want a UY in September or October. The main thing your UY determines is when you need to bank your points by.

Would you guys recommend getting a 200 point contract and trying to rent or squeeze for the next 2 years in a studio while little one is under 3?
Getting a larger 270pt contract?
Or getting a 160 and separate 100 pt contract?

BLT studios are VERY small, the smallest in DVC. So five would certainly be a tight fit. I would look at the point charts and calculate how many points you would need for a one-bedroom or a two-bedroom (once your kids get older you may want a larger villa). That should determine how many points you will need. And be honest with yourself about how often you want to travel to Disney. Are you an every-year kind of family? Or will every-other-year satisfy you. This will also be crucial in determining how many points you need.

When it comes to buying single contracts or multiple contracts, there are a couple of things to think of. First, if you buy multiple contracts, it will make it easier to downsize if you ever want to sell some of your points. The downside is, most smaller contracts will cost you more per point than the larger contracts.

Also, is it better if I get 2 contracts to have the same month or separate month?

Hoping to score somewhere bw 80-85 for BLT as I have seen a some getting down into that range.

Thanks

If you have two contracts that are the same UY and deeded exactly the same, then they will both fall under one member number. If you have different UYs, then they will be treated as separate memberships.

Hope this helps. Continue researching until you feel like you really know the system and know what you're buying into. Resales aren't going away anytime soon. Information is your friend.

 

[Dean]

For Oct and Dec trips, I'd get an Oct UY if possible, as noted, UY has nothing to do with when you book but it can affect points availability. Having a UY that's as close to your usual travel times as possible is always a good idea as it gives you some insurance for your points if you have to cancel or change. I'd only buy BLT if you plan to stay there most DVC trips, for you situation you might also consider HI and CA as well as some of the cheaper on property options. For the time you're going, BWV can be an especially good idea if you can plan and book 11 months out. I would not get 2 contracts if you go resale as it'll increase your cost about $10 a point for each and every point compared to that resort with all points in one contact. Given your distance, I would definitely NOT overbuy but I think you should plan for a 1 BR. If you buy BLT and follow my advice of only buying there is most trips will be there, that means at least 200 points but more in the 250-300 pt range. This might be a consideration for 2 smaller contracts but more if you decide to buy retail and mostly if part of your points are HI/CA. It's unlikely you'll come to WDW every year for that long so you might be able to get by for less with banking/borrowing, this is a decision you'll have to make. Just realize the cost difference between your choices for WDW purchases. Even resale you're looking at maybe $17K on BLT vs more in the $11K range for SSR or BWV, for BLT retail it's more in the $30K range.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hello all,

Family of 5 (Me, DW, DD6, DD4, DD1) and we have decided that DVC is the way to go. Last year we paid and stayed at BLT in a 1 bedroom. We have been to WDW 4 times having done BLT, GF, BC, and Poly and loved the space afforded by BLT 1BR and convenience with the little ones. That being said, we are all the way in Cali and plan to travel once a year to WDW. Our elementary school system gives a fall break the first week of October every year which coincides with Food and Wine.

Through studying all the posts, we think Feb UY would be good so we can get Oct outside of 7mo and also if we wanted to do a Christmas trip also be inside of 11 month window.

Would you guys recommend getting a 200 point contract and trying to rent or squeeze for the next 2 years in a studio while little one is under 3?
Getting a larger 270pt contract?
...
Thanks

I would never consider putting five (even if the youngest is under three) in a studio at BLT.

If you like Oct and Dec, you don't want a Feb UY. You want an Oct or Sept UY. Then if you have to cancel your reservation with 31 days or more to go, you still have time to rebook another trip.

Do you go to Disneyland Resort at all? You might want to consider a GCV resale if you can find one.

 

[Mrbruin2k]

Soooo confused. So if I buy at BLT regardless of UY I can book 11 months out, correct?

So UY would mean that is when my points are released? If I get an October UY, would that mean I could only have a reservation start on Oct 1st? Bc sometimes like this year we would be traveling on Sept 29th.
Would that make it better to get a Sept UY?

Also plan to travel here for a while and hopefully be able to use Aulani or random trips to GCV, but we are about an hour from DL so we usually don't spend the night and like DL Hotel better than GC.

Since it does have such a long contract we would like to be able to share this with our kids when they have families even though that is 20 years out at the very least (or better be!)

Thanks again for the help

 

[Dean]

Soooo confused. So if I buy at BLT regardless of UY I can book 11 months out, correct?

So UY would mean that is when my points are released? If I get an October UY, would that mean I could only have a reservation start on Oct 1st? Bc sometimes like this year we would be traveling on Sept 29th.
Would that make it better to get a Sept UY?

Also plan to travel here for a while and hopefully be able to use Aulani or random trips to GCV, but we are about an hour from DL so we usually don't spend the night and like DL Hotel better than GC.

Since it does have such a long contract we would like to be able to share this with our kids when they have families even though that is 20 years out at the very least (or better be!)

Thanks again for the help

If you plan to stay at GCV periodically then you really need to own there. The best UY is one that is as close to possible as your usual stays. If you plan to go in Sept and Oct, August or Sept would be bet.

 

[ToddyLu]

UY has nothing to do with booking unless you cancel a trip.

And rather than confuse the issue you just need to read the stickies over and over to understand how it affects your trip if you cancel. At least it took me really reading the rules Sloooooowly so I could understand.

You can book a trip as long as you have the points anytime.

 

[ToddyLu]

Outside of the DIS, you can get info from DVCNews.com and download a good guide book to DVC from the Passporter website for a few dollars.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Soooo confused. So if I buy at BLT regardless of UY I can book 11 months out, correct?

So UY would mean that is when my points are released? If I get an October UY, would that mean I could only have a reservation start on Oct 1st? Bc sometimes like this year we would be traveling on Sept 29th.
Would that make it better to get a Sept UY?

Also plan to travel here for a while and hopefully be able to use Aulani or random trips to GCV, but we are about an hour from DL so we usually don't spend the night and like DL Hotel better than GC.

Since it does have such a long contract we would like to be able to share this with our kids when they have families even though that is 20 years out at the very least (or better be!)

Thanks again for the help

You just need the points when you plan to go. So if you are booking 11 months out for Oct 2013 and your UY is a Sept UY. You would be using the points from your Sept 2013 contract. And you make the reservation in Nov 2012 with those same points because they will be available for that Oct vacation.