Questions from a potential first time buyer

So my brother and I are considering purchasing a resale contract. We have a family of 4 adults at the moment so larger rooms are a must for us (pretty much a 1br villa always). We've been to Disneyland tons as we are from CA, but have relocated and are much closer to WDW. We are planning our first trip to WDW and I was looking at renting points, but given our proximity and desire to go fairly regularly, we are seriously considering a purchase instead. I've been doing/still doing tons of reading about DVC and have some questions:

In case it matters, we are looking at purchasing +/- 200 points.

I've read that MFs can be paid either in one lump sum each year or monthly via ACH. Is this true? If yes, are there any fees for paying monthly?

I was originally thinking of purchasing at VWL as I expect MK is likely where we would spend most of our park time and we like the theming of the resort. I am, however very open to the other resorts. I could easily see staying in any of them. After more reading, we were heavily leaning to SSR for the low MFs, similar CPP & higher availability of rooms, but I've read some pretty negative reviews of SSR on Trip Advisor and I'm not super sure I like that it is so spread out. Thoughts?

I've read a couple comments that it is getting increasingly difficult to book outside the 11 month mark at your home resort (basically booking at 7 months somewhere else is very hard). Would that be an accurate assessment, or is it dependent on the time of year?

Are the VWL easy to book at 7 months out if we choose a different home resort? Our usual travel time is likely last week of Sept thru mid-Oct.

How difficult is booking at VGC? We have family in and are from CA so I expect we would travel there at least once or twice given the opportunity.

Our party at the moment is 2 adults 25+ and 2 adults 50+. Would there be too many kids around at SSR?

We will spend lots of time in the parks, heavy on MK, but time at the resorts as well. Likely not much pool time. What resorts would you recommend for an all adult party?


If I think of more, I will post them. All thoughts and comments are welcome. Thank you in advance!

purduegurl18 said:

So my brother and I are considering purchasing a resale contract. We have a family of 4 adults at the moment so larger rooms are a must for us (pretty much a 1br villa always). We've been to Disneyland tons as we are from CA, but have relocated and are much closer to WDW. We are planning our first trip to WDW and I was looking at renting points, but given our proximity and desire to go fairly regularly, we are seriously considering a purchase instead. I've been doing/still doing tons of reading about DVC and have some questions:

In case it matters, we are looking at purchasing +/- 200 points.

I've read that MFs can be paid either in one lump sum each year or monthly via ACH. Is this true? If yes, are there any fees for paying monthly?

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Yes, it's true. No additional fee.

purduegurl18 said:

I was originally thinking of purchasing at VWL as I expect MK is likely where we would spend most of our park time and we like the theming of the resort. I am, however very open to the other resorts. I could easily see staying in any of them. After more reading, we were heavily leaning to SSR for the low MFs, similar CPP & higher availability of rooms, but I've read some pretty negative reviews of SSR on Trip Advisor and I'm not super sure I like that it is so spread out. Thoughts?

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If you're not willing to stay at SSR, then don't buy there. If you don't mind staying there, then go ahead. Be aware of the end-date of the resort contract. VWL ends in 2042, while SSR ends in 2054. Those 12 years may not seem like much now, but I'd expect the resale value to reflect the end date in the next few years.

purduegurl18 said:

I've read a couple comments that it is getting increasingly difficult to book outside the 11 month mark at your home resort (basically booking at 7 months somewhere else is very hard). Would that be an accurate assessment, or is it dependent on the time of year?

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Very dependent on the time of year. Busy season for DVC is late September though the first two weeks of January. The first week of December is the most difficult to book.

purduegurl18 said:

Are the VWL easy to book at 7 months out if we choose a different home resort? Our usual travel time is likely last week of Sept thru mid-Oct.

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That's a very popular time, since it's the Food & Wine Festival, but VWL shouldn't be too difficult right at 7 months.

purduegurl18 said:

How difficult is booking at VGC? We have family in and are from CA so I expect we would travel there at least once or twice given the opportunity.

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There are 23 studios or one-bedrooms at VGC. You'll need to jump on any opportunity, since it won't come around often.

purduegurl18 said:

Our party at the moment is 2 adults 25+ and 2 adults 50+. Would there be too many kids around at SSR?

We will spend lots of time in the parks, heavy on MK, but time at the resorts as well. Likely not much pool time. What resorts would you recommend for an all adult party?


If I think of more, I will post them. All thoughts and comments are welcome. Thank you in advance!

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My thought is, buy at BLT. You want to be near the Magic Kingdom and you have multiple adults in your party. BLT's one-bedroom's have two full bathrooms. I can't imagine sharing a single bathroom with four adults. Keep in mind that there's only one bed in a one-bedroom, so someone's sleeping on the pull-out couch or sleeper chair.

supersnoop said:

Yes, it's true. No additional fee.



If you're not willing to stay at SSR, then don't buy there. If you don't mind staying there, then go ahead. Be aware of the end-date of the resort contract. VWL ends in 2042, while SSR ends in 2054. Those 12 years may not seem like much now, but I'd expect the resale value to reflect the end date in the next few years.


Very dependent on the time of year. Busy season for DVC is late September though the first two weeks of January. The first week of December is the most difficult to book.


That's a very popular time, since it's the Food & Wine Festival, but VWL shouldn't be too difficult right at 7 months.


There are 23 studios or one-bedrooms at VGC. You'll need to jump on any opportunity, since it won't come around often.


My thought is, buy at BLT. You want to be near the Magic Kingdom and you have multiple adults in your party. BLT's one-bedroom's have two full bathrooms. I can't imagine sharing a single bathroom with four adults. Keep in mind that there's only one bed in a one-bedroom, so someone's sleeping on the pull-out couch or sleeper chair.

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I tried to get into VWL at 7 months in Sept and couldn't do it. It is a very small resort. If you want WL buy VWL. DO NOT BUY AT SSR UNLESS YOU WANT TO STAY THERE. If you want cheap points buy Vero Beach. Three years ago it was much easier getting into places at 7 months than it is now It will only get more difficult as time goes on. Worry most about where you want to stay rather than trying to get in someplace...

You say you are buying with your brother and a one bedroom villa will do. The master bedroom has a king sized bed. Who gets that? Your parents? The living room will have a queen sized sleeper sofa and BLT, AKV and OKW will also have a twin sized sleeper chair. Will that really work for the four of you?

Also, what happens if you or your brother finds another person to add to the family? Where does that person go and how does it get split up? You may want to reconsider buying with your brother and buy on your own. If you can't afford it on your own, you might want to reconsider purchasing DVC at this time and save it for a later time. DVC is a very expensive timeshare and annual member fees only go up each year.

If you want to buy at VWL, you probably want to find a contract now, though, as the price is bound to go up and resales may be taken by DVC through ROFR since they are expanding VWL.

Also, do not consider HHI or VB unless you want to use your points there. Buy at WDW if that is where you want to stay. Buy VGC if that is where you want to stay. Booking at seven months out is only getting harder as more members are added to DVC through new construction.

Just to comment on VGC, I own there and it's been almost impossible trying to get rooms at 7 months or less. But at 11 months out, it's been no problem.

supersnoop said:

My thought is, buy at BLT. You want to be near the Magic Kingdom and you have multiple adults in your party. BLT's one-bedroom's have two full bathrooms. I can't imagine sharing a single bathroom with four adults. Keep in mind that there's only one bed in a one-bedroom, so someone's sleeping on the pull-out couch or sleeper chair.

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I've started looking at BLT as well due to location. I'll do some more research there. I wasn't aware they have 2 full baths. We do realize the bed situation and are ok with it, we have lots of experience there. Moving up to a 2 bdr is also a consideration although the point cost is more, so that is an element of our decision process.

disneynutz said:

Problem is you are guessing about even liking WDW and DVC. You can make a best guess and buy where you think you want as a home resort or buy a less expensive SSR and use those points to stay at different DVC resorts while learning about WDW and DVC. Later you can sell or add-on once you have the knowledge to make an informed decision.

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You are correct, there is a guess work element. The enjoyment factor is somewhat based on experience from DL although I do understand the parks are different. We've always loved our times at DL. I just don't picture time at WDW being any different. It is 100% a guess on the resorts.

Deb & Bill said:

You say you are buying with your brother and a one bedroom villa will do. The master bedroom has a king sized bed. Who gets that? Your parents? The living room will have a queen sized sleeper sofa and BLT, AKV and OKW will also have a twin sized sleeper chair. Will that really work for the four of you?

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Yes, we are aware and ok with the set up. We'll up the size if we need to, but we travel together a lot and that set-up is nothing we haven't done before.

Deb & Bill said:

Also, what happens if you or your brother finds another person to add to the family? Where does that person go and how does it get split up? You may want to reconsider buying with your brother and buy on your own. If you can't afford it on your own, you might want to reconsider purchasing DVC at this time and save it for a later time. DVC is a very expensive timeshare and annual member fees only go up each year.

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We'll get a larger space if needed and if nothing else, we'll split. I can afford to do it solo if I want, which is another point of consideration. We're still at the point of research and running numbers. I am very aware, and agree, that deciding to buy into DVC is a big decision. Its still at a very very early stage for us at this point.

Deb & Bill said:

If you want to buy at VWL, you probably want to find a contract now, though, as the price is bound to go up and resales may be taken by DVC through ROFR since they are expanding VWL.

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I did read that and would expect the price to rise as well. I wouldn't have thought DVC would ROFR though, if they are expanding there, wouldn't they try to sell more points direct? If they ROFR and build, they will have tons of points just sitting around until someone buys them. I read in a thread about Poly that they have to pay the fees on those unsold points. Why would they want that?

Deb & Bill said:

Also, do not consider HHI or VB unless you want to use your points there.

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That thought crossed my mind at one point, but now they are not even on my radar. I don't see us using either spot ever so I wouldn't want our 11 month window at some place we would never ever go, hence the rethinking of SSR too.


Thank you all for your thoughts so far. If you have any other thoughts, tips, suggestions or items we should consider, please feel free to post them. As I said above we are very early in the decision making process so every little bit helps!!

purduegurl18 said:

Are the VWL easy to book at 7 months out if we choose a different home resort? Our usual travel time is likely last week of Sept thru mid-Oct.

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We are heading down this Sept, last Friday (opening of F&W) and through the first week of Oct. I had my pick of 1b at VWL right at 7m. I opted for 1 bedroom at BLT. Standard view was available for all nights except the Sunday (halloween party), and it was gone a few months prior to 7m. You have to be right on the computer at 8am, but I think 1b VWL was still available a few days later. Later in Oct, competition was higher.

purduegurl18 said:

Our party at the moment is 2 adults 25+ and 2 adults 50+. Would there be too many kids around at SSR?
We will spend lots of time in the parks, heavy on MK, but time at the resorts as well. Likely not much pool time. What resorts would you recommend for an all adult party?

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I think it's a personal choice. We like SSR, as a party with 2 adults and 2 little kids. It's a beautiful resort and not nearly as spread out as CBR and OKW. Most things are still walking distance. I can see us staying there when the kids are older so that we have quick access to DTD. It's a bit more work now with strollers and buses.

My problem is cost. If we've got a long stay or short on points, do I want to spend 28pts a night for SSR 1b in Oct or 33pts a night for BLT 1b lake view. If it's a short stay I won't worry about the 5 point different per night. If it's 7 nights, that's 35 pts extra for BLT or I could have 1 additional night at SSR. If we went once a year or every other year, I don't think my decision would be as hard. Because we go several times a year, it's hard for me to pull the trigger... esp since BLT's not one of my favorites.

I put very little stock in Trip Advisor reviews for DVC resorts. I do not think many of them were written by DVC members, or even frequent Disney visitors.

IMO, SSR is a good place to stay for adults - especially after the construction at Dwtn Disney (aka Disney Springs) is complete. Sounds like there will be several new and unique dining, shopping and entertainment venues. My advice is to rent some points and stay there to see how your group likes it. If you do, SSR can be a very good value!

Good luck with your decision.

i grew up going to DL. When I first visited WDW it was like DL on steroids. Of the two, I prefer WDW as it's in it's own large bubble with 4 (v. 2) parks & 23 (v. 3) resorts & a large DTD area. There are so many options. I own at AKV, but I made that choice after staying at 6 different WDW resorts including a stay in a 1 br. villa at AKV the DVC I was most interested in buying. I also visited the other options through the years. That said I think renting at 1 or 2 DVC resorts (split stay) you might want to buy in a 1 br. Villa and making a point to visit the other DVC resorts on your first visit to WDW is the way to go. There may be subtle differences that matter to you that you are unaware of until you actually experience them.
Enjoy your first visit to WDW & the hunt.
BTW, we found that Sept. was a bit too humid and rainy for us, we prefer winter in Florida.

I contemplated buying SSR for the low CPP. I decided against it in the end because I did not think I would be 100% content staying there most of the time. One thing to consider is while the CPP may be attractive at SSR, will that really matter in 5 or 10 years when you really want to be within monorail (or walking) distance of MK or Epoct?

The one thing (among many) that deterred me from SSR was the distance from the parks. Sure, it's a boat ride from DD, but a 30 min ride to the parks, ehhh not so appealing. While the resort looks BEAUTIFUL (and I'm staying there this November), I couldn't see myself staying there regularly if I wanted to hit the parks hard.

I would give serious consideration to what you would be most content with LONG term, keeping in mind the buy in price is a one time deal.

I would not form a family partnership by buying together, either buy separately or just one buy and "rent" to the other in terms that are formalized up front. In fact, I would not buy at all with no experience or I would buy VGC or HI if you were on the west coast. You really need more knowledge and experience before buying so maybe take a trip on rented points to SSR and visit as many resorts as possible spending an hour or 2 walking around and possibly seeing rooms. IF one decided to buy on faith at WDW, I would buy SSR and go for around 150-170 points then once you have more experience, you could buy an additional and more directed contract or sell SSR and buy something else. My second choice in this situation would be BLT but I might go a little larger for that, all for cash and only resale.

If one decided to buy anyway you need a very complete partnership agreement that you both sign that spells out what happens in terms of disinterest, marriage, divorce, death, financial issues, wants out and many more. I know it sounds like a simple thing to just buy with a sibling or parent but it really is a major risk to your future and relationships.

Booking at 7 months has gotten more difficult over the past few years but in general it should have about hit it's steady state at present assuming no major changes to the demand and no major changes within DVC such as a new large lower demand resort like the Ft. Wilderness area. It really isn't that big of a deal if you're flexible in terms of resort and specific week. Sep. for one & two BR units, it shouldn't be too difficult if not looking at a specialty time (Xmas, Easter) or specialty option (AKV value or concierge, BLT standard, VGF in general, etc). The proper technique if you own at WDW is book home resort at 11 months out then try to change at 7 months out using the wait list if needed. Having more points than you need adds cost but does improve chances of getting what you want in this sistuation, as does owning multiple resorts.

There is no fee for the monthly dues payment but it must be set up as an automatic payment from you banking account and they'll only do one for each separate contract. It also gives you the chance to delay payments somewhat.

SSR is very adult friendly but DVC is a timeshare most of which are frequently very kid heavy. Think of it like going on a major market cruise like Carnival or RCCL If having screaming kids running around is an issue, not only is DVC likely not a good choice, WDW itself really isn't. The best way to mostly avoid kids for pools is to go to the pools that are plain jane such or not as well known like OKW "quiet" pools, the BW Inn pool or the SSR pool at Congress park and to avoid times when kids are out of school or on break. BTW, when Disney uses the term "quiet pool" they're referring to a likely experience, not a rule or expectations. Quiet pool does not mean there's an expectation to be quiet even though some would like to believe differently.

CarolMN said:

I put very little stock in Trip Advisor reviews for DVC resorts. I do not think many of them were written by DVC members, or even frequent Disney visitors.

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I put very little stock in TA in general and almost none for timeshares. Actually they do better with DVC than most timeshares comparatively speaking. That's one of the reasons I try to warn people looking at RCI exchanges to not put much stock in TA.

Here is another thought. If you are buying resale why not try for an extended OKW 2057 contract. OKW has the lowest point per room along with BWV and AKV. The deal with OKW is that its a huge resort and seems to have tons of availability. Also the rooms are huge and the point per night will be way less. I know you said MK will be the heavy park but really its not that bad of a commute. just my 2 cents

River Country said:

Here is another thought. If you are buying resale why not try for an extended OKW 2057 contract. OKW has the lowest point per room along with BWV and AKV. The deal with OKW is that its a huge resort and seems to have tons of availability. Also the rooms are huge and the point per night will be way less. I know you said MK will be the heavy park but really its not that bad of a commute. just my 2 cents

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I would avoid that choice personally because once the 2042 owners drop out DVCMC will have a challenge which will likely increase dues further that are already higher than some. It's also easy to change into so owning elsewhere still gives the options of the taking advantage of the lower points costs and other benefits that OKW can offer including the 2 beds in a studio. Now if it were cheap enough the risks and limitations might be worth it, to me that's about 25% less than SSR up front. AKV is likely a better choice if one wants something different and wants to take advantage of the other benefits like the 2 baths in a 1BR (Kidani only) or the value view rooms (1BA) and one could still reserve OKW.

Dean said:

I would avoid that choice personally because once the 2042 owners drop out DVCMC will have a challenge which will likely increase dues further that are already higher than some. It's also easy to change into so owning elsewhere still gives the options of the taking advantage of the lower points costs and other benefits that OKW can offer including the 2 beds in a studio. Now if it were cheap enough the risks and limitations might be worth it, to me that's about 25% less than SSR up front. AKV is likely a better choice if one wants something different and wants to take advantage of the other benefits like the 2 baths in a 1BR (Kidani only) or the value view rooms (1BA) and one could still reserve OKW.

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I disgree with this idea. The unextended units will revert to DVD and they will be responsible for maintenance at the same rate as anyone else. OKW owners will not be responsible for any additional maintenance. The transition will be complicated, but the maintenance will not expand.

Regardless, I still wouldn't buy into OKW simply because it's frequently available and has a short expiration.

supersnoop said:

I disgree with this idea. The unextended units will revert to DVD and they will be responsible for maintenance at the same rate as anyone else. OKW owners will not be responsible for any additional maintenance. The transition will be complicated, but the maintenance will not expand.

Regardless, I still wouldn't buy into OKW simply because it's frequently available and has a short expiration.

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That's just it, there it is not automatic they will simply take the units and pay the fees. More likely they will reduce the size of the units and the maint fees will be calculated on a smaller less efficient footprint. Or they could use it for college housing like they did the old condo's or THV before. The idea that they'll just run it and rent it is possible but very unlikely IMO.

Dean said:

That's just it, there it is not automatic they will simply take the units and pay the fees. More likely they will reduce the size of the units and the maint fees will be calculated on a smaller less efficient footprint. Or they could use it for college housing like they did the old condo's or THV before. The idea that they'll just run it and rent it is possible but very unlikely IMO.

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"Units" are defined legally. Maintenance fees cover the units and common area. You can't remove units from the condo association, and you can't make owners pay fees for "unowned" units. Because someone owns them. DVD will legally take ownership in 2042, since they'll still have a land lease through 2057.

Regardless of what they do with the units, DVD or some other organization will owe the maintenance fees proportioned to those units.

Dean said:

That's just it, there it is not automatic they will simply take the units and pay the fees. More likely they will reduce the size of the units and the maint fees will be calculated on a smaller less efficient footprint. Or they could use it for college housing like they did the old condo's or THV before. The idea that they'll just run it and rent it is possible but very unlikely IMO.

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Reduce the size of the Units? What are they going to do knock them down? Owners will not pay for the unsold "units" which is what they will become in 2042. If this were the logic every resort prior to SSR would have the same fate and it just is not the case

supersnoop said:

"Units" are defined legally. Maintenance fees cover the units and common area. You can't remove units from the condo association, and you can't make owners pay fees for "unowned" units. Because someone owns them. DVD will legally take ownership in 2042, since they'll still have a land lease through 2057.

Regardless of what they do with the units, DVD or some other organization will owe the maintenance fees proportioned to those units.

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I realize that people own in a legal unit but that doesn't mean they have to keep that unit open or it can't be changed, DVC has pretty broad powers and they've already shown they are willing to stretch what's allowed legally where OKW is concerned, just look at the extension and special assessment threat. IMO you're assuming a guaranteed outcome that are not so. There are many things they could do but simply keeping the entire resort open and just renting the unused portion paying the dues themselves is the least likely by far IMO.

River Country said:

Reduce the size of the Units? What are they going to do knock them down? Owners will not pay for the unsold "units" which is what they will become in 2042. If this were the logic every resort prior to SSR would have the same fate and it just is not the case

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They very well may Raze them, we simply don't know. The issue with OKW is that there are roughly 1/3 of the resort that will be owned by members and 2/3 by DVD. Renting out 2/3 of the resort at then current retail or discounted resale prices is not a workable plan IMO.

Dean said:

I realize that people own in a legal unit but that doesn't mean they have to keep that unit open or it can't be changed, DVC has pretty broad powers and they've already shown they are willing to stretch what's allowed legally where OKW is concerned, just look at the extension and special assessment threat. IMO you're assuming a guaranteed outcome that are not so. There are many things they could do but simply keeping the entire resort open and just renting the unused portion paying the dues themselves is the least likely by far IMO.

They very well may Raze them, we simply don't know. The issue with OKW is that there are roughly 1/3 of the resort that will be owned by members and 2/3 by DVD. Renting out 2/3 of the resort at then current retail or discounted resale prices is not a workable plan IMO.

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A similar discussion covered Vero and what would happen if a hurricane destroyed some units to the point that they would not be repaired. The consensus seemed to be that the insurance would pay out to the legal owners of those units and their contracts would become invalid. They cannot destory a unit without compensating the legal owner of that unit. This is basic real estate law.

Remember, Disney owns the land, but DVD built and sold the improvements. DVD had to extend the entire land lease, so DVD will take ownership of any improvements when the existing deeds expire. This might not be as basic, but it's still real estate law. If DVD ended up owning any entire units, then they might be able to withdraw that unit from the condo association and avoid the dues, but the maintenance for those units would also go away. But I believe it's exceeding unlikely that DVD would end up with an entire building. So that risk is practically non-existent.