Should I take the DVC plunge?

[labdogs42]

We just went to Disney May 13-19 and now we're thinking about going back in September. We didn't make it to the DVC Open House while we were in the World, because we didn't think about it until too late. Now that we're considering going back in September we're thinking that maybe we really should look into DVC. I did talk to someone from DVC and they are mailing me the info.

I love the idea of DVC, but it seems so expensive to me. Can someone explain to me how it is worth it in simple terms? We are a family of three (at least for now) and we would like to go to WDW once a year or every other year. For now we would go in the off-season because DS is only 15 months old. Once he's in school, we'd probably have to go during more peak times.

Is 150 points really enough for anyone? It seems like that isn't really enough. Thoughts?

I hope I posted this in the right forum. Sorry if you've answered these questions a million times before! Thanks!

 

[Cinderpals]

I think that 150 pts is more than enough for an every other year visit. The largest room you'd probably need is the 1 bdrm w/ kitchen. We're a family of 4, and can get by with the studio. You could bank a years points to have 300pts to use to book your vacation. Would you want to stay at SSR, VWL, BCV, BWV or OKW? During peak times, you would want to take advantage of the 11month booking window. I would carefully think about which resort you would prefer to stay at. You may have to purchase through resale to get the points at the home resort that you want. Visit threads on the different dvc resorts. Some, are in the same position you are in, except they've narrowed down their choice between two home resorts. Watch your dvc video!
Oh! Also, it's important to identify which peak time of the year you'd most likely visit. It makes a difference. I love owning at the BWV & BCVs for different reasons. I don't have any regrets, other than not becoming an owner sooner!

Best Wishes

 

[labdogs42]

Well, we stayed at the Beach Club in May and we loved it. But, you can only buy Saratoga Springs from DVC right now. Also, those leases are longer. So is it better to just buy SS or should I look for BCV points in resale? How hard is it to book BCV or BWV if it isn't your home resort?

 

[skoi]

When we bought our 150 points a few years ago (BCV), in all honestly it wasn't financially "worth it". Emotionally satisfying, yes, but not a great use of money. We were a family of four, three of us loved Disney. Dh finally said- go buy the points IF you buy at Beach Club (I wanted VWL, the kids wanted BWV though they really love the CR, he wanted BCV in case we decided to sell or had to rent points). So we bought them, and used them, but kept thinking we didn't really need them. 150 was enough for what we wanted to do- go in adventure season Sun-Thur in a one bedroom, or go to Hilton Head at the end of August.

Now we're a family of five, hopefully to be six by next fall. If we're going to vacation we need a lot more space, so buying the points turned out to be a good idea. We added fifty points this winter because we'll be using a two bedroom, and my husband really likes DVC, though he's still not a Disney nut.

My one regret, is not buying at OKW. Even my Contemporary kids say they prefer OKW to all the other resorts.

Julie

 

[Cinderpals]

Yes, Beach Club points are hard to come by. BWV contracts are out there on the resale sites. You can buy some older resorts points from Disney if they have them available. It would be very difficult to buy 150 BCV points from Disney. You should call and ask since you don't have a specific UY to match, they may have some available. Call your guide.

I can tell you that BCV is a smaller resort. If you know that you plan most of your trips by 8 months out, I would purchase where I want to stay the most. If you wait until after 7 month window, then I'd go for the SSR points for the other advantages. I've been waitlisted for rooms at both of my home resorts because, I change my plans after the 7 month window!! I've been lucky to get what I needed, but I think that as more people buy into the DVCs, it's not going to be as easy.

If you vacation during Summer, BCV is hard to get.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

You can buy BCV or any of the "sold-out" resorts directly from Disney. I have done exactly that. I wanted the BWV and not SSR. I wanted the 11 month advantage there. Just tell your guide that you want to buy BCV and they will put you on a waitlist and when the points come in, you purchase them directly from Disney. For some reason, they don't necessarily like to do this, but they will do it if you push the issue. I hope this helps.

 

[Granny]

I love the idea of DVC, but it seems so expensive to me. Can someone explain to me how it is worth it in simple terms? We are a family of three (at least for now) and we would like to go to WDW once a year or every other year. For now we would go in the off-season because DS is only 15 months old. Once he's in school, we'd probably have to go during more peak times.

Is 150 points really enough for anyone? It seems like that isn't really enough. Thoughts?

You are going twice in one year, so I'm assuming that every other year probably won't cut it in the future!

As for whether it is worth it, that depends. What kind of accommodations do you stay in now? Do you primarily travel on weekends or for a full week?

As others have stated, DVC doesn't necessarily save money over what you might have spent otherwise. But it will definitely upgrade your vacation experience, especially if you are in a 1BR or larger.

 

[lovewdw13]

Looking at your last trip, the points were only higher on one night of your trip. If you continue doing your trips that way, DVC is great. What we used to do was spend our Saturday night off property or at the Value resorts and then switch to DVC for our Sun-Thur night stay. This way we used the least amount of point and were able to stretch our 230 pts to 2 visits. With three people in your family, studios and 1 bedrooms are all you need. But you might be wanting 2 bedrooms in the future if you have a little girl. Bedding isn't something to worry about at this point though and 150 pts should do. Especially if you end up going every other year. But you're going to fall in love with the accommodations and the treatment you child (children) receive as he gets older. Maybe he'll enjoy his 1st haircut at the Barber shop in the Magic Kingdom. There are just so many special moments that are going to keep you coming back. But if you didn't, you have so many other places you could either trade into or use without an Interval International trade. II is a great value if you can get the trade you want.
Regarding what you can purchase: It's Saratoga right now, but you could probably buy through Disney some of the other resorts that were built prior. Beach Club and Boardwalk are the hardest to get and can take months for your waitlist to purchase to go through. Guides don't push those because of the possible wait and you get 12 years less of usage time. I'd do the tour if you're not ready at this point. And if cost is an issue, then I'd seriously look at resale since it tends to be cheaper that route. You won't need the points right away and typically the sale takes around 2 mos to go through. I believe that the sponsor of this board also has a way for you to figure out how many points you might need by clicking on the link above or cut and paste this link:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml
Regarding favorite resorts to stay at, I'd say OKW, BC or WL. OKW has the biggest rooms for 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms. They're beautiful. They've been getting smaller since that resort was built, but still nice. The BC has the best pool on property and only those who stay there can use it, so if pools are important, try to get that location through resale. You won't be sorry. And this all matters if you will make reservations 8-11 months ahead of time. If it's 7 mos ahead, go with the resort that has the cheapest dues. OKW (good till 2042) or SSR (good till 2054).
Hope this all helps.

 

[DisneyDadof2]

We looked into DVC 5 years ago and decided not to do it. Our last trip of 2005 we decided to take the plunge. We are kicking ourselves now because the price per point then was not nearly as high as it is today. So we got less points to play with.

150 points will get you at least one good week long trip per year in a 1 bedroom so if you bank and go every other year then you should have no worries over points if and when you use the 2 bedroom villa.

 

[Buckalew11]

We have also just purchased. We are buying BCV through resale (Jacki) and are very excited and happy with our decision so far. We looked into this in 2000 and put it off until now (I didn't want to finance). We're a family of 3 and have bought 150 points. I know I'll want more points but I suppose I can add them later if I really "need" them.

At first we thought we'd have to do SSR but them found out you can easily buy resale. I think I'd love SSR actually. We toured it and it was beautiful to me. But when we looked for resale, we thought OKW was our style. Then, kind of last minute thought, we decided to do BCV because we knew we'd like staying there (usually do S/D and love the location) and it might be harder to trade there then some other places. I really think we're gonna like ALL of the DVC resorts--all for different reasons but that was why we decided to buy into BCV instead of OKW (I can't wait to stay at OKW!)

There are very helpful people here and very good threads to read and learn from. I have a lot of learning to do also but I know I am in the right place to learn from the best!!

Good Luck!!