Has anyone had to 'settle' when they became DVC members?

[DLBDS]

I know everyone says to buy were you want to stay. Has anyone 'settled' for a resort that they didn't particularly like. I didn't really like SSR because of the lack of Disney theming and don't really like AKL either. I'm holding out for CRV and hoping the minimum points increase (if there is one) won't be out of my range. Curious to know how many settled for a resort they weren't all that impressed with.

 

[TisBit]

We own at SSR, I never even thought of it as settling....

I don't think that there is any resort with a "Disney" theming, most are themed off of other areas....so never really thought of it that way. I can understand why some people would enjoy/want BCV/BWV/VWL and the potential CRV since they feel "close" to the resorts that way. I think the animals at AKV will be a definite attraction, I love the thought of sitting out on my patio watching the giraffes and zebras wander by, but I also know that I will only last about 30 minutes before I would be chomping at the bit to go "do something".

For me, I DTD and even though people like to complain about the different resorts, I realized that my home resort will be where I most like to be. I would hate to stay at BCV's if I didn't have an AP and could just pop into Epcot whenever I felt like it....but DTD I can people watch, shop and eat without paying admission, which to me is great. But I will admit, this is after these boards made me feel like I had bought at the wrong place, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it is where I would like to be on a consistent basis.

I will try to stay at all the resorts over time, but I think many people tend to "follow the crowd" and if everyone wants BCV, well than WE must want to stay there too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We bought into DVC in '03 when they were selling the model area of BWV and BCV. We really wanted VWL, but the standard view point structure and the Magical Beginnings sales deal caused us to buy the larger, 200 point contract at BWV, and add on 50 points immediately at VWL.

We have since added 3 other home resorts because we want to be able to book our different family vacations in particular resorts, and we book 11 months out for the primary family members. We're the DGP of the family, and often have 3-4 villas, with one being a 2 bedroom (or this summer we have a Beach Cottage) to serve as the base, booked for vacations.

So, it wasn't that I wasn't impressed with BWV, it wasn't DH's and my first choice. It was however my DMom's choice and the initial reason we bought into DVC was to have an 85th birthday party for her, it worked out splendidly. DMom had come to love VWL as well, I'm happy to say!

Bobbi

 

[mickeymorse]

I guess I would have to say we settled.... for only 34 more years!

 

[tomandrobin]

We bought SSR and absolutely love the resort. We think the room decor has a real nice elegant look and feel. Just like Tisbit, we really enjoy going to DTD.

We also own AKV and can see how people can either love it or hate it. The theming is more to an extreme and can easily put some off. That said, we love that resort too.

CRV may or may not happen. If and when it does go on sale, you will be looking at two or three price increases, minimum. The last couple of price increases have been $3 each time.

 

[tomandrobin]

Also, you know you can still buy at any of the other resorts.

 

[DLBDS]

I would have loved to by in at VWL! It's our favorite resort and it'll be hard for us to stay anywhere else. However, I think I would like being at a monorail resort too. I stayed at the CR (and Poly) when I was a kid and really liked it. So, the CR has sentimental value for me. The MK is my favorite park too...that sentimental thing again. The CRV is our only current option (hopefully anyway). I just don't feel like I should buy in anywhere just so I can be a DVC member. I want DVC in a REALLY bad way but I'm gonna hold out for what I (think) I want. I would probably settle for anything at the MK but don't feel this way about the other parks/resorts.I was thinking that after my initial purchase, I could add on at the VWL. Is that a sound plan?

 

[DLBDS]

Also wanted to add that I want the full contract so buying thru Disney is a must.

 

[tomandrobin]

I would have loved to by in at VWL! It's our favorite resort and it'll be hard for us to stay anywhere else. However, I think I would like being at a monorail resort too. I stayed at the CR (and Poly) when I was a kid and really liked it. So, the CR has sentimental value for me. The MK is my favorite park too...that sentimental thing again. The CRV is our only current option (hopefully anyway). I just don't feel like I should buy in anywhere just so I can be a DVC member. I want DVC in a REALLY bad way but I'm gonna hold out for what I (think) I want. I would probably settle for anything at the MK but don't feel this way about the other parks/resorts.I was thinking that after my initial purchase, I could add on at the VWL. Is that a sound plan?

I think you have things figured out. I noticed your trips and you seem to lean towards Wilderness Lodge and/or club level stays. I didn't see Contemporary, but I do understand your passion towards being near Magic Kingdom.

 

[PamOKW]

Also wanted to add that I want the full contract so buying thru Disney is a must.

I'm not sure I understand this. If you buy resale you get the same length of contract as you do when you buy from Disney. The main difference is you have to get your own financing -- can't finance through Disney. I guess you also wouldn't get whatever incentive Disney is offering -- such as developer points, but you also usually get a reduced price with a resale.

 

[RLRDA]

We own at SSR, I never even thought of it as settling....

For me, I DTD and even though people like to complain about the different resorts, I realized that my home resort will be where I most like to be. I would hate to stay at BCV's if I didn't have an AP and could just pop into Epcot whenever I felt like it....but DTD I can people watch, shop and eat without paying admission, which to me is great. But I will admit, this is after these boards made me feel like I had bought at the wrong place, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it is where I would like to be on a consistent basis.

I will try to stay at all the resorts over time, but I think many people tend to "follow the crowd" and if everyone wants BCV, well than WE must want to stay there too.

We didn't do much hard research before buying other than 'running the numbers' type research. These boards are a wealth of knowledge that we didn't tap into until after we were owners and we've learned a lot from everyone! We bought into SSR because that's what was being marketed at the time and we didn't know about resales (although we wouldn't have gone that route anyway) or buying "sold out" resorts through Disney. That being said we're happy that SSR is our home resort and can't wait for many more trips back. We love the proximity to DTD as well. It's such a great destination and it's right in SSR's 'backyard'. Plus the contract runs longer and while I might not use it as much when I'm in my early 80's, my children and (hopefully) grandchildren will! No 'settling' here!

 

[DLBDS]

I'm not sure I understand this. If you buy resale you get the same length of contract as you do when you buy from Disney. The main difference is you have to get your own financing -- can't finance through Disney. I guess you also wouldn't get whatever incentive Disney is offering -- such as developer points, but you also usually get a reduced price with a resale.

I want the full 50 year contract. If I buy resale at an older resort, I won't get that. That's my understanding anyway. If I'm wrong about this then PLEASE set me straight.

 

[mjy]

Also, you know you can still buy at any of the other resorts.

Ahhhh . . . but that I didn't know earlier.

I had purchased at the Boardwalk when it was selling. After I decided that the points I had would not be enough, I wanted more. However, the Boardwalk was no longer up for sale and I had to "settle" for the Beach Club. This was before I realized that there were places to purchase resale and not go through Disney.

Actually, I found out about it on my first Disney Cruise. I met some other DVC people who told me about their purchase at The Timeshare Store. Well, that did it! I sold my Beach Club and bought more Boardwalk so that I could have all my ownership at one place, since I really enjoy staying there.

 

[disneynutz]

I want the full 50 year contract. If I buy resale at an older resort, I won't get that. That's my understanding anyway. If I'm wrong about this then PLEASE set me straight.

You need to be set straight. The only full contract is AKV. The other resorts have their original expiration date no matter who you buy from.

 

[tomandrobin]

I want the full 50 year contract. If I buy resale at an older resort, I won't get that. That's my understanding anyway. If I'm wrong about this then PLEASE set me straight.

Well, yes and no. Recently, Disney has started offerring extensions for the OKW resort. I am guessing, but I think is only matter of time before they make the same offer for the other resorts.

 

[BroganMc]

We "settled" for 200 points to start. It was enough for a few days (5 max) in a 1bedroom as an add-on to our Marriott 2bedroom 1 week stays.

But 6 months later, we upgraded to another 120 points and started doing Disney 7-9 days.

Now we're debating adding another 110 points and bumping up either our time or our accommodation size.

Marriott is quickly becoming our "settling" choice. Funny how that works.

As for resort choice, I can see folks hesitating because they really want to invest most of their points in one of the future DVCs (CRV, GCV, Hawaii). But existing ones can always be had on resale (either 3rd party or thru Disney). Some argued here that a lot of SSR owners settled because they didn't know they could buy older resorts. In our case, if not for SSR we wouldn't have purchased. It is the only DVC (aside from OKW) that feels like what we're used to in timeshares. Initially, we thought we'd be opting to move around a lot in the system, but we quickly fell in love with our home resort. Now it's become an issue of "settling" to stay elsewhere. All nice, but with some extra strings.

 

[CarrianneB]

I would have loved to by in at VWL! It's our favorite resort and it'll be hard for us to stay anywhere else. However, I think I would like being at a monorail resort too. I stayed at the CR (and Poly) when I was a kid and really liked it. So, the CR has sentimental value for me. The MK is my favorite park too...that sentimental thing again. The CRV is our only current option (hopefully anyway). I just don't feel like I should buy in anywhere just so I can be a DVC member. I want DVC in a REALLY bad way but I'm gonna hold out for what I (think) I want. I would probably settle for anything at the MK but don't feel this way about the other parks/resorts.I was thinking that after my initial purchase, I could add on at the VWL. Is that a sound plan?

I think buying where you want to stay is always a good option. That's why we paid the extra $2/point to buy into AKV. It just made more sense to us.

 

[LisaS]

I want the full 50 year contract. If I buy resale at an older resort, I won't get that. That's my understanding anyway. If I'm wrong about this then PLEASE set me straight.

The end date for each resort is fixed, it is not set at 50 years from when you purchase. If you purchased SSR today, your contract would end on Jan 31, 2054, the same day as every other SSR contract regardless of when it was purchased. If you purchased AKV directly from Disney today, your contract would end on Jan 31, 2057, exactly the same date as my contract that I purchased one year ago.

There is only one case where purchasing from Disney gets you a longer contract and that is OKW. That is because at this point in time Disney is selling OKW with the extended end date (Jan 31, 2057) but there are no extended contracts available on the resale market yet so those contracts expire on the original date of Jan 31, 2042.

 

[TiggerMan2007]

I would have loved to by in at VWL! It's our favorite resort and it'll be hard for us to stay anywhere else. However, I think I would like being at a monorail resort too. I stayed at the CR (and Poly) when I was a kid and really liked it. So, the CR has sentimental value for me. The MK is my favorite park too...that sentimental thing again. The CRV is our only current option (hopefully anyway). I just don't feel like I should buy in anywhere just so I can be a DVC member. I want DVC in a REALLY bad way but I'm gonna hold out for what I (think) I want. I would probably settle for anything at the MK but don't feel this way about the other parks/resorts.I was thinking that after my initial purchase, I could add on at the VWL. Is that a sound plan?

I would say if you love VWL, then you should BUY THERE!! ask yourself a question.....how old will you be in 2042??? You will still be able to enjoy your fav resort for the next 34 YEARS!!!......then you could always buy at CRV when they decide to start selling that.......worse case, you may sell your VWL in 5 years or so if you decide you love CRV the best....to me it sounds not too risky and you get the resort you love.

You can get great deals on VWL for about $77 - $82 per point thru resale........seems to me that the savings there would be great and you would get your 11 month out booking window. Beside Diseny will probably offer to extend another 15 yrs like they are with OKW right now, probably next year or the year after.

CRV will sell for at least $104 per point!

 

[buzz5985]

There is only one case where purchasing from Disney gets you a longer contract and that is OKW. That is because at this point in time Disney is selling OKW with the extended end date (Jan 31, 2057) but there are no extended contracts available on the resale market yet so those contracts expire on the original date of Jan 31, 2042.

I'd be curious to see if anyone buying an OKW resale is offered the extended contract once the resale is complete.

The only reason why I think they will be is when you buy a resale, example - I bought HH, my membership card says member since 1999 - when in reality I bought in 2002.

I don't want anyone to think that if you buy resale you are considered in a class below those that buy direct.

It is my personal opinion that DVC will go resort by resort offering the extension.