A few more general DVC ownership questions.

[jacquek95]

Thanks to this board and all the information that we've received, my dh and I are about ready to purchase a DVC, but still have just a few more questions.

1. Has anybody ever had trouble renting out unused points if you started looking for a renter a decent amount of time ahead (at least 3 months ahead)?

2. In the history of the DVC, has Disney ever changed (i.e. increased) the # of points to get into a resort? Does anybody have any valid concerns considering this issue?

3. How difficult does it really tend to be to get into a resort. We're buying at the resort that we would most like to stay at (thanks much for the advice we got on this web site), but we're not the best about planning a year in advance of our trips. Maybe 3-4 months in advance. My concern is that we won't ever be able to get in and then I'll get disgruntled as my parents have with other timeshares.

4. How is the $10 rent/point determined (seems to be the going rate)? Do people base this on something that Disney sets?

Thanks again for all your help! Can't wait to be a DVC owner too!

 

[Xtine76]

In regards to the question about disney changing points, the points for the DVC properties remain fixed, as per contract. The other options can fluctuate.

 

[tjkraz]

1. I can't comment on this, but there seems to be a booming market for rented points. Remember the closer you get to travel dates the less likelihood that there will be availability. So your 3 month figure may or may not be a good one. For example, if you decide in October that you want to rent points within the next 3 months, it may not be realistic since October, November and December can be very busy times at WDW. Perhaps a bit more elaboration on this issue would help.

2. The total points available at a resort are fixed. In other words, if you take all of the studios, 1Bs, 2Bs and Grand Villas at OKW, and apply the posted point values for all 365 days in a calendar year, you will get the number of points that DVC sold at that resort. DVC keeps 2% of the points for their own uses and to accommodate for things like Leap Year, etc.

So, DVC cannot arbitrarily change any of the point values. What they can do is reallocate. In other words, if they decide they want a Grand Villa to cost more points on a given day or given season, then the need to make an offsetting adjustment which will LOWER the costs elsewhere within the resort.

This reallocation happened once at OKW quite a few years ago. But you don't need to necessarily worry about a 1B that costs 30 points today going up to 40 points in a year or two. If that does happen, some other room type/season will go down.

3. You get 4 months exclusive access to your resort. After that all bets are off. Every DVC owner can book at your home.

If you're looking to purchase SSR through DVC, or OKW as a resale, you will probably have success booking 3-4 months out. Those will be the two largest resorts and popularity issues aside, they will take the longest to sell out.

If you are looking at a VWL or BCV resale, 3-4 months advance notice would concern me. Again, by that time all of the many SSR, OKW and even Vero Beach and Hilton Head owners will have access to your resort. Those are the two smallest on-site resorts and booking on that short of notice could be a problem during peak periods.

Even for the larger resorts, there are times of the year that could also be difficult. December 1-15 is very popular with DVC members due to the low costs, and will often book solid very early. Holiday periods also go fast.

Unfortunately there are no occupancy facts & figures available, and I would take anything that a DVC guide tells you with a grain of salt. This is really a tough question to answer for you. Many people report success reserving a room on a single day's notice. But I myself went into DVC knowing that we will often plan trips a year or more in advance.

I guess in the end if you are buying SSR or OKW, you will probably be fine. Likewise if you don't really care which resort you stay at, you just want a room, you should be able to find something a high percent of the time. But if you are buying BCV or VWL and expect to stay there for most of your visits, I would worry about availability on 3-4 mos notice.

4. There are a lot of theories on this. Some point to DVC's Magical Beginnings program which gives new owners a $10 per point credit for surrendering their points.

Some owners have tried to rally others and get people to sell for more than $10 pp. Thus far it hasn't be successful. I guess it's partially a supply and demand thing. Tourism has been hurting for the last 2-3 years, which has impacted WDW as well. Attendance has been rising, so perhaps a point will soon be reached where there are more people willing to rent. This means people can start charging more.

Some people already charge more and are successful. Others auction off stays on eBay for a fixed dollar amount which will often equate to a higher than $10 pp return.

 

[PamOKW]

Originally posted by jacquek95

3. How difficult does it really tend to be to get into a resort. We're buying at the resort that we would most like to stay at (thanks much for the advice we got on this web site), but we're not the best about planning a year in advance of our trips. Maybe 3-4 months in advance. My concern is that we won't ever be able to get in and then I'll get disgruntled as my parents have with other timeshares.

Buying at the resort where you want to stay won't mean much of anything if you book at 7 months or later. At that point, all DVC resorts are equal. In general, chances are that you will get something at WDW but it's not a given at any of the resorts. You may have to spend some time on the wait list to get your choice of dates. While you may not be planning ahead now, you may find that you do actually vacation roughly the same time every year. You can book reservations for these time periods and then readjust if your schedule changes.

I would also caution against counting on point rental. To date, this seems to have worked well for folks but the number of renters has been small. I'm not sure there is great enough demand from the general public to support large numbers of rentals. In fact, you'll find multiple cautions in the documents from DVC cautioning against counting on being able to rent for cash. Remember, not only do you have to find a renter but you also have to be able to secure a reservation for the people.

As already explained, the total number of points at each DVC resort does not change. However, the points needed to stay at non-DVC options can and have gone up -- sometimes considerably.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by PamOKW
Buying at the resort where you want to stay won't mean much of anything if you book at 7 months or later. At that point, all DVC resorts are equal. In general, chances are that you will get something at WDW but it's not a given at any of the resorts. You may have to spend some time on the wait list to get your choice of dates.

My God, you said that MUCH better than I did!!!!