Which resort to buy at?

Michal Holm · Apr 21, 2015

Hi forum

I need some help in choosing the "right" Dvc resort for my purchase. I'm only going after the points, and would most likely use them at AKV.

Normally you should buy where you would like to go, but I can't seem to find info about how easy or hard it is to book into AKV if you are not an owner. I would mostly likely go in July or maybe August. We are a family of 5, are we able to fit in a 1br or do we need a 2br?

If it's easy to book which resorts has the lowest buyin compared to MF per point?

I'm already a Owner at hgvc but we like our home resort and use it every year. I could skip a year and just use Rci to try and get in. But I think I would like to own in stead.

What are my options to get the lowest buyin and the best MF or point?

Anything else I should consider?

Regardws Michal.

chalee94 · Apr 21, 2015

Michal Holm said:
Hi forum

I need some help in choosing the "right" Dvc resort for my purchase. I'm only going after the points, and would most likely use them at AKV.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-your-home-resort-what-to-consider.2152512/

Normally you should buy where you would like to go, but I can't seem to find info about how easy or hard it is to book into AKV if you are not an owner. I would mostly likely go in July or maybe August. We are a family of 5, are we able to fit in a 1br or do we need a 2br?

AKV 1 or 2BRs should be pretty easy to get for standard or savanna view at 7 months out. you definitely need to own there for club level or value villas.

non-value 1BRs include a sleeper chair so they will definitely sleep 5. kidani 1BRs include a 2nd bathroom. over time you still might prefer the extra room in a 2BR.

If it's easy to book which resorts has the lowest buyin compared to MF per point?

SSR is generally the best value option - lowest upfront cost resale with fairly low dues with a 2054 expiration.

I'm already a Owner at hgvc but we like our home resort and use it every year. I could skip a year and just use Rci to try and get in. But I think I would like to own in stead.

you might try to trade in to get a feel for AKV before purchasing...

Michal Holm · Apr 21, 2015

Hi
Thanks for your reply.

What is the difference between club level, value villas and the regular ones?

Regards.

chalee94 · Apr 21, 2015

club level is club level (or "concierge"). there's daily housekeeping and access to a concierge snack and drink lounge included in the point cost. you used to have access to the sunrise safari but they got rid of that. on the down side, the views are pretty *meh* and you might wind up with a very expensive pool view.

there are only 5 club level 2BR lockoffs. i think it's 3 (obstructed) savanna view and 2 pool view.

value rooms are smaller in size. the value 1BRs don't have the sleeper chair and max out at occupancy of 4. on the plus side, the value 2BRs might eb a really good fit for you, and you have a shot at a savanna view or pool view for a good points value.

i think there are only 10-12 value 2BR lockoffs.

Michal Holm · Apr 21, 2015

Ok but then I need to buy at akv?

Would I be able to get a regular 2br with savanna view 7 months out?

I rather have a lower buyin and lower mf instead of the value rooms.

Regards michal

DVC Doctor · Apr 21, 2015

The main downside to AKV vs SSR is the annual dues is almost $1 per point per year vs SSR. But this may not be such a big deal if it is a small contract.

SSR is probably the easiest to book and AKV or OKW is the next easiest to book. However the concierge rooms at AK usually disappear at 11 months.

Michal Holm · Apr 21, 2015

What about buying at the BLT they have an even lower MF or is the buyin higher than the SSR?

disneynutz · Apr 21, 2015

Michal Holm said:
What about buying at the BLT they have an even lower MF or is the buyin higher than the SSR?

BLT has had 6% plus dues increases in the last couple of years and IMO that will continue until the resort is where it should be.

:earsboy:

Bill

Michal Holm · Apr 21, 2015

Ok thanks

Just looked at the price point for value 2br rooms at AKV. It's a great difference between the with/without savanna view.

Will the value rooms have any savanna view or is it random so some has it and some hasn't?

The need for smaller point packages when using value room may(haven't done the math) be a great value even though you need to pay more in MF.

Regards

disneynutz · Apr 21, 2015

While buying DVC may save you some money, IMO it can cost more. You end up buying more points, taking more vacations, and deciding that you like the view rooms at the more expensive resorts.

:earsboy:

Bill

Michal Holm · Apr 21, 2015

You might be right.

But do the value room have a savannah view?

Regards michal

chalee94 · Apr 21, 2015

Michal Holm said:
You might be right.

But do the value room have a savannah view?

Regards michal

Value means a smaller sized villa. You might get savanna view, or pool view, or a view of the parking lot.

They don't accept view requests for the value villas.

Before AKV sold out, I booked value studios twice at 7 months and got 1 savanna view and 1 parking lot view. A third time, I waitlisted but it never came through.

Michal Holm · Apr 23, 2015

Ok thanks for your replies.

Regards michal

ncurley · Apr 25, 2015

I'm not sure what times you would be traveling but maybe this will help: Looking at the Resort Availability tool, Kidani has lots of 2 BR availability in November (except for 9 days are fully booked, 2 of which are 4 day stretches and 1 random fully booked day) and December 2015 is entirely available (but we're not yet at 7 months out for those dates). Jambo House has a 2BR savannah view available for 6 days in a row from Nov 16-20th and also in mid-December from Dec 14-17th, then the 18th of Dec is fully booked and Dec 19th is available. The club level and value rooms are entirely sold out (except for a few random days in a 2 BR value). I would say if you are flexible on dates and do not care if you get a value or club room, then you could buy anywhere (SSR maybe). Otherwise I'd buy at Animal Kingdom. I think there is a good chance availability may become more sparse at 7 months after Avatarland opens in Animal Kingdom so if you really have your heart set on staying there you should buy at Animal Kingdom.

DVCcurious · Apr 25, 2015

Here's my take:

I also loved AKV the first time I stayed and thought it was awesome. Luckily I bought at VWL because the contract was like $15 less per pt than similar AKL contracts.

Now I've been back to AKV twice and I hate it. The resort is amazing. The rooms layouts are great for 1BR or 2BR. The extra bathroom is great. The savannah view is great. But the long walks from the end of the halls if you get stuck there are terrible. And the buses. I hate the buses. I realize that all resorts have to use buses, but only AKV, OKW, and SSR require buses EVERYWHERE. All other resorts offer boats or monorail to at least 1 theme park. Between leaving my room at the end of a Kidani wing and walking 15 minutes to the bus stop, then waiting 20 minutes for a MK bus, then riding for 20 minutes it takes an hour to get to Magic Kingdom. I don't care how cool giraffes are, the bus situation just isn't worth it.

Back to you, are you absolutely positive you'll love AKV for all your trips for the next 45 years? If you are positive about that then buy at AKL.

But will the buses and long hallways begin to annoy you? They annoyed me after 3 trips and now I'll never go back.

If you would consider staying somewhere other than AKL then DON'T buy at AKL.

AKL is always available at 7 months. The resort is huge and never fills up. Maybe high travel times like early December in studios you may have trouble if you try to book short-notice. But if you can book at 7 months you will be able to get Savannah or Standard 1BR or 2BR anytime of the year.

Owning at SSR is the same as owning at AKL if you want to book standard or savannah 1 or 2BRs. Given that, buy SSR and save the $1 per year in dues.

tasha99 · Apr 25, 2015

If you can't book before 7 months, SSR is currently cheapest of the WDW resorts (fees and buy in) and all resorts are the same at 7 months. If you want the 7-11 month booking advantage, then buy where you want to stay. We have a mix--VGC and BWV are our "choice" resorts, but we have SSR points for late bookings and low demand times when we can get away with booking at 7 months. The way it is right now, AKL is one of the easier resorts to book (after SSR and OKW). That could change, but I doubt it. it's a larger resort and not near the parks, so I think it will always be more of a first choice for people who love the theme and/or animals--a smaller group, imo, than the people who will be trying to book for proximity to MK or Epcot.

ldo · Apr 25, 2015

if you can plan right @ 7 months out, you should be able to easily get a 1BR or 2BR @ AKV in July/Aug. You most likely will not get a value 2BR without owning there. We had VWL, but found after our 1st stay that we were always booking AKV. After 4 stays, decided to sell our small VWL contract and buy a larger AKV contract. It was worth it to us, as we usually stay during high points times (Christmas/Easter). Being able to ensure both a booking @ AKV and also the benefit of getting value rooms made it worth it to us. We also prefer JAmbo over Kidani, and Jambo tends to book up faster. Jambo's standard views are usually anice pool view--whereas Kidani standard are of the parking lot/check-in/bus turn around. I don't mind the parking lot view @ Jambo--quiet and nice foliage.
As we are a family of 5, I would also suggest OKW. All 1Brs have a sleeper chair for the 5th person. There is A LOT of space in a 1BR. We stay with 3 teens and are fine. OKW is our 2nd fav after AKV. OKW is also fairly easy to book @ 7 months, esp. 1BRs.

sndral · Apr 25, 2015

For a long time the advice given here at dis DVC seems to have been buy at SSR as it had the lowest price per point buy in, however, if you follow the ROFR thread (and resale listings) SSR and AKV are pretty close in price per point these days, unlike a few years ago when SSR was much cheaper. SSR also used to have significantly lower MFs (dues) but they have been trending up as well.
I bought at AKV resale 2 years ago (after thinking about buying DVC for years.) I considered SSR because of the @ the time lower price per point and MFs - but I have no desire to stay there, and I believed the dues had originally been set artificially low to spur sales (ala Aulani.) I considered BWV and BCV, didn't like the views at BCV and didn't like the earlier contract end date. I looked at BLT but didn't like the theming/high rise vibe and thought the MFs were set artificially low and would increase once sales were done. VWL had an early end date on the contract. I chose AKV because we love Jambo, the restaurants and the animals. The buy in was reasonable and the contract end date was a long way away.
I'm ok with the buses and prefer the non stop ride to a park from AKV to the jammed multi stops of the BWV/Swolphin/YC/BC group.
As DVC adds more resorts, particularly resorts with very high per night point requirements, demand patterns at 7 months may change, so don't buy at a resort where you wouldn't want to stay (SSR or OKW for me) assuming that what you can get at 7 months now will never change.
When I bought I knew we traveled to WDW typically in early Dec. and my plan was add on at BWV in a couple of years (tho' now I'm considering VGF which wasn't around when I bought.)
Everyone's needs, priorities and aesthetic sensibilities are different - so my balancing thought process may or may not have similarities with your family's. Good luck with your decision.

Which resort to buy at?

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