1st Time DVC Prospective Buyer Questions

[Phoneix8]

Hi everyone, I'm a prospective 1st time buyer and have been interested in DVC for a long time. Just had some questions if anyone is kind enough to help answer. I am a family of 4 with 2 young kids, we plan on making 1 trip to Disney World each year, either in the fall or Christmas time.

1) If you select a home resort contract, are you able to use those points to book at other resorts? Is the home resort selection only really beneficial because you get a further out booking window of 11 months? If that is the case and you don't really care about which resort you stay at, should you really just look for the best value contract?

2) Is it cheaper to book a DVC vacation thru your own points or cheaper to go thru a rental site like DVC Rentals or Davids?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[The Jackal]

1. Yes if other resorts still have rooms available. Fall and Xmas book up fast. They are very busy DVC times, especially for studios. That why some say buy where you want to stay. So at some resorts you’ll need 11 months to the day. Some rooms at a few resorts get walked by DVC’ers. They basically find a open room at 11 months and keep on changing the dates, walking it forward till their trip.

2. In the short run, renting is cheaper than owning. If your in it for decades, owning will be cheaper.

 

[Phoneix8]

1. Yes if other resorts still have rooms available. Fall and Xmas book up fast. They are very busy DVC times, especially for studios. That why some say buy where you want to stay. So at some resorts you’ll need 11 months to the day. Some rooms at a few resorts get walked by DVC’ers. They basically find a open room at 11 months and keep on changing the dates, walking it forward till their trip.

2. In the short run, renting is cheaper than owning. If your in it for decades, owning will be cheaper.

Thank you for the feedback! Much Appreciated!

 

[Phoneix8]

1. Yes if other resorts still have rooms available. Fall and Xmas book up fast. They are very busy DVC times, especially for studios. That why some say buy where you want to stay. So at some resorts you’ll need 11 months to the day. Some rooms at a few resorts get walked by DVC’ers. They basically find a open room at 11 months and keep on changing the dates, walking it forward till their trip.

2. In the short run, renting is cheaper than owning. If your in it for decades, owning will be cheaper.

If I don't plan on going during the busy times of summer or xmas, would it be a considerable option to just buy something like an Aulani or Vero Beach 200-300pt contract and then use those points for a low season stay at AKL?

 

[wizardtho]

I've also looked into this situation. The trouble with that strategy is that you wouldn't be able to use your different resort points until 7 months out as opposed to 11 months out. You may have trouble finding availability 7 months out at AKL, but I'm not sure.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

If I don't plan on going during the busy times of summer or xmas, would it be a considerable option to just buy something like an Aulani or Vero Beach 200-300pt contract and then use those points for a low season stay at AKL?

"DVC busy" and "regular people busy" are different. Summer is not DVC-busy because the rooms are relatively expensive (in points) and DVC members like to be stingy with points.

Vero Beach is extremely expensive in maintenance fees and it expires in 2042. It's probably the worst value contract you can buy.

I love cheap Aulani contracts. Disney doesn't take them in Right of First Refusal so you can be very aggressive on price, especially if you're buying a large contact. The only drawback is that you can't book any WDW resort at 11 months. What most people do when they want to stay at a non-home resort at 7 months is to book their home first at 11, and then switch at 7. You can't do that at Aulani.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You may have trouble finding availability 7 months out at AKL, but I'm not sure.

Standard View Studios, maybe. Savannah View and 1BR+ are pretty easy.

(Value and Club rooms are pretty impossible even at 11 months.)

 

[RoseGold]

If your goal is "value" and "cheaper" than DVC might not be the right pick at all.

You need to do the math on your use case.

DVC is a product with A LOT of very strict rules. You need to know those rules if you are going to buy into this.

 

[Mattrg_2000]

Buy where you’d be happy to stay. Grand Floridan just opened 200 new single rooms which are perfect for you right now. That resort will always be in demand. You can book busy times (like xMas and spring break) at 11 months and the maintenance is fair at $7/pt (3% inflated each year). You might consider a direct purchase since the premium is pretty low currently over resale. 200 points for a 6 night stay at Christmas could work. You’ll likely figure out that it’s much cheaper point wise to go at Memorial day, or even spring break. Ha.

 

[Her Dotness]

Since you don't particularly care which resort you stay at, investing as much money as you must to buy in, even if resale, doesn't seem to me like an especially good use of your money. Booking at 7 months can be a beast once you've experienced a few DVC resorts and want a particular one. And you likely will find you do want a specific one eventually--and haven't enough points.

If you'd primarily want a studio, you really need that home resort advantage (booking at 11 mos out) to be certain of getting all the nights you want/need most times of the year anymore.

October-December are extremely popular months for DVCers. The points charts reflect that.

If you've not already, click on DVC at the top of this screen, then on DVC Point Charts on the toolbar at the top of that screen. Calculate how many points you'd need for the length of stay and times of year you'd most often go.

Do that for 2022 and 2023, so you get a sense of how much point costs can change from year to year. Because DVD will jerk you around like that.

Figure how much dues will cost you, too.

Then, you'll have a pretty good idea if laying out the chunk of change buying in will cost you is worth it for you.

 

[Sandisw]

I am a big believer in buying a resort that you don’t mind staying at each and every trip if you can’t find things elsewhere.

It really can depend on how long your visit is, room size, and whether you want to split stay or not. Getting a week in a studio at bear park resorts at 7 months in the fall and Xmas will be different than
If you are trying for a few days in a 1 bedroom.


I would not recommend buying at offsite DVC if you want to go to WDW. Too risky and what works now for trading at 7 months could be vastly different in 5 years.

I have been an owner since 2009 and I can tell you that things have changed drastically for 7 month bookings.

Now, resale will lock you out of RIV and future resorts. If these restrictions continue, it’s likely that the 2042 resorts…end in January 2042 will come back as new and restricted. While 19 years is a long time, I think it’s wise to consider if that matters.

We also have no word yet if VDH or the new Poly tower will be restricted from resale points bought today, including for those who buy PVB.

In terms of renting? I think yearly visits make it more likely that owning works out for you. Renting means you lose all control of a reservation. Changes are difficult and refunds are rare.

Good luck.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

If your goal is "value" and "cheaper" than DVC might not be the right pick at all.

You need to do the math on your use case.

DVC is a product with A LOT of very strict rules. You need to know those rules if you are going to buy into this.

Exactly. DVC, like the dining plan, works only if your use style matches the program. If it doesn't, it won't work for you. If you force it to, it might work but you won't be happy.

 

[Dotluvsdisney]

I've also looked into this situation. The trouble with that strategy is that you wouldn't be able to use your different resort points until 7 months out as opposed to 11 months out. You may have trouble finding availability 7 months out at AKL, but I'm not sure.

Hmmm,

"DVC busy" and "regular people busy" are different. Summer is not DVC-busy because the rooms are relatively expensive (in points) and DVC members like to be stingy with points.

Vero Beach is extremely expensive in maintenance fees and it expires in 2042. It's probably the worst value contract you can buy.

I love cheap Aulani contracts. Disney doesn't take them in Right of First Refusal so you can be very aggressive on price, especially if you're buying a large contact. The only drawback is that you can't book any WDW resort at 11 months. What most people do when they want to stay at a non-home resort at 7 months is to book their home first at 11, and then switch at 7. You can't do that at Aulani.

I just came back from HI and am excited to try for an Aulani visit in the next few years! Do you mind sharing how one can “switch” from a home resort booking to a different spot at 7 months?

 

[DebLovesPooh]

You click on modify reservation and see what else is available during the dates you want. The new reservation with have the same reservation number as your old one and your old reservation is safe until the new one is booked.

 

[Phoneix8]

Thank you to everyone for your responses! Appreciate y’all for taking the time to comment. I do plan on making 1 visit to WDW each year and would also love to visit Aulani, so i don't mind making that my home resort (I was married in Maui and Hawaii's one of my favorite places to visit). For my preferences, I would want a 1 bedroom for any stay i'm considering (The 2 young kids need the space to run around hahah).

I recently just came back from a tri-split stay (That was crazy but also a lot of fun). 1BR SV at Kidani, 1BR BW View at Boardwalk, and a Moana standard club room at Poly. They're all fantastic in their own right which is why I said I didn't really have a preference for the resort. But I was surprised to hear that a studio would be harder to book than a 1BR, I guess it makes sense since it's less points but i would have thought it would be the other way around.

 

[DeeBee3]

For example, getting a room at Copper Creek during any of the Christmas season would be almost impossible unless you have that 11-month window. Studios are the hardest. I don't have experience trying for a 1-bedroom during that time, so I would need others to chime in.

I would say anything during holidays will be hard. The resorts are dressed up and certain ones are more "known" for the holiday decor. There is also the food and wine during the fall and all the special parties (halloween or christmas).

Definitely do as much research and start some type of spreadsheet to run the numbers if it makes sense for you. Good luck!

 

[RoseGold]

I bought SSR to stay in 1BRs and I've had no issues. I've stayed in almost everything I wanted to. BUT I travel off peak, plan this really far out, and spend a lot of time monkeying with this. Like check the website multiple times a day to get the last day kind of time.

I'm assuming off peak, and fall is peak for DVC because of the relatively cheap current chart. 1BRs are easier to book because they are bad value in the (current) charts. A 2BR isn't much more, and it's a huge jump in points from a studio. Generally speaking, the least point rooms go first (studios, OKW 3BR, AK value) but there are other rooms that also book up, even if they aren't the cheapest (BLT 1BR (extra bath), BW view, Poly lake view, club level).

Christmas time, which starts in November now, is a bloodbath for booking. Even priority may not be enough at some resorts. I went early December 2021 (never again! OMG the crowds) and I am still not sure how I squeaked into my 1BR booking one day at a time.

 

[igrsod]

We are the same type of people, we find something to love at each resort so it really wouldn't matter where our home resort is. BUT, we have used the value rooms many times by having AKL as our home resort. This has allowed us to stretch our vacations out, which is a nice bonus.
As far as if it was worth purchasing DVC. We wish we had done it sooner... we spent 1000s of $s on vacations before that we could have invested into DVC. But now that we have it we LOVE it. Our kids are now adults and we still love it. The kids consider it their vacation home, as do we. We all still go often.
This trip will be the first vacation for just my DH and I... new chapter.

When looking at the value of the resorts, look at their maintenance fees. That is where your majority of money will go. Vero will look cheap upfront, but will be more expensive in the long run. When we bought our second contract (yes you will want to add on), SSR was the best value. Not sure if that's still the case.

 

[RamblinWreck]

My recommendation would be to buy the resort you actually want to stay at.

Look at all of the different resorts and the different room offerings they have (and how their point charts differ from each other).

$20 per point won't make much difference in the long run.

Here's a hypothetical. You buy at SSR. You decide you are a huge fan of 1 bedroom rooms, and you're totally in love with the location and theming of Bay Lake Tower. Well, congratulations, you saved some money on the upfront cost! However, you're stuck spending 20% more points than you could have on a standard view room because those are all taken by the time your 7 month window opens and you can book that resort.

 

[Her Dotness]

But I was surprised to hear that a studio would be harder to book than a 1BR, I guess it makes sense since it's less points but i would have thought it would be the other way around.

Generally speaking, fewer points needed rules, so yeah, the studios tend to get snapped up first.

Maybe we should modify that old saw "Buy where you want to stay" to "Buy a home base." Home base meaning a WDW resort most of us like well enough as a placeholder and fallback if we can't find availability elsewhere at 7 months. The reason for that is that modifying a reservation is simpler than risking nowhere to stay, waitlisting or stalking to get something at 7 months for as long as you want.

You may be more flexible than most DVCers and will literally take whatever you can find at 7 months so would do fine booking WDW with Aulani as home resort. Aulani dues are at the higher end but not outrageously high unlike HHI or Vero. And Aulani resales are often dirt cheap for bunches of points compared with the WDW resorts. An Aulani resale might be perfect for you.

Until you stay at RIV and fall hard for it as so many have...