50-80 points at OKW

[Cerigirl]

Hi there -

Well, I have finally talked my husband round to DVC and he must have been thinking of it himself a fair bit, as he seemed to know an awful lot!!

However, our budget is tight and we are looking at contracts (resale) of 50 - 80 points at OKW. We are from the UK and this would give us enough to do a week - 10 days every other year. I don't think we could afford to go to WDW every year. Does anyone else have this few points and do you find planning hard? We only like to vacation in September / January anyway, so we could take advantage of the lowest points per studio.

Has anyone ever had difficulty booking at the 7 month window, if we were to buy cheaper still at VB and wanted to stay at OKW?? I know annual dues are higher at VB, but for the small contract we would own, it wouldn't make a huge difference to be honest. Thanks!!

 

[glennbo123]

Everyone on these boards seems to say "own where you like to stay", and I think it applies in your case. VB is like an hour and a half drive away, so if you aren't able to switch to OKW at the 7-month mark, you're going to be a long way from the parks.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Don't buy at VB if you plan to always stay at WDW. Beside needing to rely on the 7 month window (which is getting harder and harder to do the more members there are), you will have the highest maintenance dues in the whole DVC system! It's because of all the hurricanes VB is in the line of!

 

[Disney_Villain]

OKW is easy to book on the 7-month window in September and January - in my experiences. There's only one problem: Were you ever to be stuck on the 7-month window only being able to book VBR, you will be staying 131 km (or 81 miles) from Walt Disney World. I wouldn't risk it.

Also, the maintenance fees for VBR are currently $6.04 USD per point, as opposed to OKW's at $4.56 USD per point. VBR's fees have gone up by $2.05 USD per point since 1999. OKW's fees have increased by $1.40 USD per point in the same time period.

Over the long run, the higher maintenance fees for owning VBR may cut into your savings earned initially by not going with OKW. VBR is very costly to maintain, with the damage the property sustains being on the coastline.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We own 100 points at BWV, and find that it works out great for us. You may also want to consider BWV, as the rooms can be harder to get than OKW, but you still have the low standard points.

There are 2 considerations that we have had to deal with in having a small contract.

1) Once you bank or borrow, those points are "Stuck" in the use year that you put them in. We've had this happen. We had planned to take Sis and her kids to Disney on their Fall Break. I borrowed points from the next use year to make the reservation. Then, of course, the kids didn't get a Fall break, but had a really great week for Spring break, which was of course in the use year that we borrowed from.

2) Some DVCers will make 2 reservations if they are not sure how large of an accommodation they will need. The DVCer will reserve a 1 bdrm and a 2 bdrm for the time frame, and when your dear sister backs out...then they just cancel the 2 bdrm. That doesn't work if you only have 50 points.

We had to deal with both situations in the trip with my sisters. In situation 1, we live as close to HHI as we do to Disney, and I had always wanted to go over there. We just borrowed from the next year for our trip. Problem solved. Situation 2, we made the reservation for a 2 bdrm, and sweated it out. My sisters came along, and everything worked out. Problem 2, can also be avoided if everyone stays in a studio.

Best advice for small contracts --stick to your guns, and leave extended family at home.

 

[Cerigirl]

I see what you are saying about the annual dues and the 7 month window, and I would prefer OKW points to be honest. I will try to keep an eye out for these then and maybe aim for 80 points, so I can have alittle more to play with!

Thanks for your advice

 

[Disney_Villain]

Hang in there Cerisa! A small contract will one day find itself in your hands.