A little confused...

[DollBabyKG]

I'm a little confused about DVC, because when we got our book about it, it said you are alotted points to use at ANY resort of your choosing, yet reading here, it sounds like you have to buy into a specific resort. What gives?

 

[MiaSRN62]

Hi,
You choose a resort to be your "home" resort. With your home resort, you get an 11 month booking window. If you choose to stay at another DVC resort (non home resort), you only get a 7 month window. So many people will tell you to buy where you most want to stay. If you have no real preference, a "home" resort is just a formality. But the majority of people have a favorite or two. OKW for the biggest rooms and lowest points; BWV for the Boardwalk views as well as the very difficult to book standard point rooms & walking to Epcot and MGM; BCV because of SAB & walking to Epcot and MGM and because it's a small resort and can be tough to book (F&W festival is tough for BWV and BCV); VWL is another very small resort and can be difficult to book as well especially in Dec and boat ride to the MK; SSR for proximity to DD; AKV for savanna views as well as concierge and value rooms.....BLT---practically in the MK ALso SSR, AKV and BLT have longer contracts than the other DVC's....the list goes on.

You really need to read these boards and listen to what each resort has to offer. It'll be alot of reading but worth it in the end. Good luck with your decision.

 

[P&B's Mom]

Hi,
You choose a resort to be your "home" resort. With your home resort, you get an 11 month booking window. If you choose to stay at another DVC resort (non home resort), you only get a 7 month window. So many people will tell you to buy where you most want to stay. If you have no real preference, a "home" resort is just a formality. But the majority of people have a favorite or two. OKW for the biggest rooms and lowest points; BWV for the Boardwalk views as well as the very difficult to book standard point rooms & walking to Epcot and MGM; BCV because of SAB & walking to Epcot and MGM and because it's a small resort and can be tough to book (F&W festival is tough for BWV and BCV); VWL is another very small resort and can be difficult to book as well especially in Dec and boat ride to the MK; SSR for proximity to DD; AKV for savanna views as well as concierge and value rooms.....BLT---practically in the MK ALso SSR, AKV and BLT have longer contracts than the other DVC's....the list goes on.

You really need to read these boards and listen to what each resort has to offer. It'll be alot of reading but worth it in the end. Good luck with your decision.

I just became an owner at AKV in September with my parents and could not agree more with the above post. It took a lot of reading and a lot research, but it was completely worth it. We went to WDW this past June and paid cash price for BCV. It was going to be our "trip of a lifetime" with my parents. We loved, they loved, and couldn't wait to go back. The cash price was a lot of money and we would have saved so much money renting points, but my mom wouldn't even consider it because she thought it was risky. You can read more about that on these boards, but it is something to consider if you aren't sure if DVC is for you or which resort you would like best. You need to know what type of vacationers you are and will be in the future. We really liked BCV, but my parents fell in love with the idea of AKV. Some of my friends have said that it is a little far from a lot of the action, but that is exactly why my parents liked it. Also, my parents wanted to be at a DVC attached to a regular resort in a larger building near many amenities. For this reason, SSR and OKW didn't appeal to them. We liked the idea of the slightly larger rooms and extra bathroom because we will usually travel with multiple families, so AKV seemed like a good fit. Plus, my sister was involved in this purchase and she loves AK the best, so everyone is happy with the decision.

Read, read, read; post questions, post questions, post questions; read some more; since you received the DVC book, you have a guide, so call. Remember that if you don't want to purchase AKV/BLT or want a smaller contract, resale will probably be the better way to go. You have options. Good luck with your decision!

 

[FreeTime]

If you plan to buy more than the required by in amount of points I would recommend that you not buy one contract and add the additional points on at another resort if there are multiple places that you want to be sure to stay. We purchased 200 points and then 2-100 point add ons all oat BWV. In hindsight, I wish we would have added on 100 at OKW to get the GV there and 100 at VWL to stay during the holidays there.

 

[chalee94]

If you plan to buy more than the required by in amount of points I would recommend that you not buy one contract and add the additional points on at another resort if there are multiple places that you want to be sure to stay. We purchased 200 points and then 2-100 point add ons all oat BWV. In hindsight, I wish we would have added on 100 at OKW to get the GV there and 100 at VWL to stay during the holidays there.

do understand, though, that if you buy at multiple home resorts, you still only get the 11 month window for those specific pts at that given resort. (in other words, if you buy 200 pts at BWV and then add-on 100 pts at OKW, you can only book OKW at 11 months with those 100 OKW pts...and not with the 200 BWV pts until the 7 month window.)

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Hi! I have a question relating to this. If my family does decide to purchase a timeshare at BLT, can we stay at other resorts, such as the Grand Floridian or Polynesian, with these points? Or do you have to add-on points to stay at these resorts? Thank you!!

 

[DollBabyKG]

The 11 month booking window, does that mean you have to book 11 months in advance, or that you can book for a total of 11 months per year? And if so, which month isn't allowed? Also, are there blackout dates, and such, where you can't get the dates you want?

 

[Lynne M]

The 11 month booking window, does that mean you have to book 11 months in advance, or that you can book for a total of 11 months per year? And if so, which month isn't allowed? Also, are there blackout dates, and such, where you can't get the dates you want?

The booking windows work this way: You can begin making reservations at your home resort 11 months from your check-in date. You can begin making reservations at other DVC resorts 7 months from your check-in date.

There are no blackout dates or other restrictions. But in practical terms, it can be difficult to book certain resorts and certain times of year at 7 months out. That's why we often recommend, 'buy where you want to stay'. That 4-month booking advantage can be very important in certain situations.

For instance, the entire month of December is very popular with DVC members. By 7 months out, the smaller resorts (BCV, VWL, BWV) can be pretty well booked up. OKW and SSR are huge, so it's somewhat easier to find availability there. But even they book up quickly for Dec.

The Food and Wine Festival is also quite popular, so the Epcot resorts (BCV, BWV) are quite difficult to get at 7 months for that time (Oct - mid Nov).

Bottom line: if you don't really care which resort you stay at, home resort is not that important. If you can't make plans further out than 7 months, it's not that important. But if you want to travel from 10/1 to the end of the year, or you'd be unhappy if you couldn't stay at a particular resort, give careful consideration to your home resort choice.

 

[chalee94]

The 11 month booking window, does that mean you have to book 11 months in advance, or that you can book for a total of 11 months per year? And if so, which month isn't allowed? Also, are there blackout dates, and such, where you can't get the dates you want?

it means you have the option of booking 11 months in advance. if you want to book dec 2009 at BCV and you own BCV points, you can call in january to book it. there are no blackout dates or anything like that (but if other BCV owners beat you to the punch, you may still have to waitlist at 10 or 11 months out...but that is pretty rare.)

if you can't or don't plan in advance, other resorts owners can book anywhere at 7 months out...so SSR, OKW, BWV, AKV and VWL owners who want to stay at BCV in dec 2009 can book there starting in may 2009. so even if you own at BCV, if you wait till june 2009 to try to book a stay in december, you may find yourself in line on the waitlist behind owners of AKV (and so on.)

the 11 month booking window provides an "advantage" over other resorts' owners, but it is not a "guarantee."

 

[Lynne M]

Hi! I have a question relating to this. If my family does decide to purchase a timeshare at BLT, can we stay at other resorts, such as the Grand Floridian or Polynesian, with these points? Or do you have to add-on points to stay at these resorts? Thank you!!

Aside from the DVC resorts, you can use points at all moderates, and any deluxe that doesn't have a DVC resort attached (which includes GF and Poly). However, those resorts aren't in the DVC system - you're essentially trading out of DVC. You'd be charged a $95 booking fee to do this, and the point costs are astronomical. Point costs for the non-DVC resorts are not fixed, and go up pretty much every year.

DVC is a good value if you plan to stay primarily at DVC resorts. If you see yourself wanting to stay at the non-DVC resorts on a regular basis, then DVC would not be a good choice for you.

 

[wildernessDad]

The 11 month booking window, does that mean you have to book 11 months in advance, or that you can book for a total of 11 months per year? And if so, which month isn't allowed? Also, are there blackout dates, and such, where you can't get the dates you want?

It means that you may book a vacation at your home resort from 11 months until 7 months in advance with no worries that those who own at other home resorts will be competing for your reservation. Starting at the 7 month point, others may book at your home resort, as well as you. And of course, at the 7 month point, you may book at the other DVC resorts, subject to availability.

 

[crisi]

Aside from the DVC resorts, you can use points at all moderates, and any deluxe that doesn't have a DVC resort attached (which includes GF and Poly). However, those resorts aren't in the DVC system - you're essentially trading out of DVC. You'd be charged a $95 booking fee to do this, and the point costs are astronomical. Point costs for the non-DVC resorts are not fixed, and go up pretty much every year.

DVC is a good value if you plan to stay primarily at DVC resorts. If you see yourself wanting to stay at the non-DVC resorts on a regular basis, then DVC would not be a good choice for you.

To expand - DVC villas are currently available at Old Key West, Boardwalk, Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kindgom Lodge, Sarasota Springs and soon at the Contemporary - DVC Villas are often attached to Deluxe resorts (Contemporary, Boardwalk, BeachClub, Wilderness Lodge) but when you book a DVC Villa at the Boardwalk you are not staying in a room at the Boardwalk Inn - you are staying on the other side of the resort at Boardwalk Villas - room layouts are different, there is a difference in housekeeping, etc. This may be most obvious with Bay Lake Towers - the DVC units being built at the Contemporary - they don't even share a name with the attached resort. The vacation club is a seperate division at Disney than the resorts - you deal with a different group of people to make reservations.


You can use your points to book nonDVC options at Disney moderates and the Deluxes that do not have DVC units attached to them (once DVC units are at that hotel, that hotel is removed from the options), however, most DVC members view doing so as a "treat" - it isn't a good value, there are a lot of restrictions, an extra cost.....

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'm a little confused about DVC, because when we got our book about it, it said you are alotted points to use at ANY resort of your choosing, yet reading here, it sounds like you have to buy into a specific resort. What gives?

When you buy DVC, you are not just buying points. You are buying real estate, that is, your home resort. When you get your deed, it actually refers to a specific percentage of a specific location at that resort. However, like most timeshares, you can choose to use your points at other resorts, even non-DVC resorts. But you get the best use of your points at DVC resorts. All other vacation options are negotiated every year, so they can and do go up each year.

So while they call it the Disney Vacation Club, it's not really a club that you are buying into. You're buying real estate.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Aside from the DVC resorts, you can use points at all moderates, and any deluxe that doesn't have a DVC resort attached (which includes GF and Poly). However, those resorts aren't in the DVC system - you're essentially trading out of DVC. You'd be charged a $95 booking fee to do this, and the point costs are astronomical. Point costs for the non-DVC resorts are not fixed, and go up pretty much every year.

DVC is a good value if you plan to stay primarily at DVC resorts. If you see yourself wanting to stay at the non-DVC resorts on a regular basis, then DVC would not be a good choice for you.

Ok, thanks!

 

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

The 11 month booking window, does that mean you have to book 11 months in advance, or that you can book for a total of 11 months per year? And if so, which month isn't allowed? Also, are there blackout dates, and such, where you can't get the dates you want?

Hi, I see that you are leaving for a trip in 3 days, take time to tour DVC and talk to a guide. They can answer alot of questions and you can see what some of the rooms look like!

We bought sight unseen, over the phone, in the middle of January of 2006 but it has really benefited us! My DH is an addict and we discussed whether we planned to vacation at WDW or Disneyland for many years, since this is the best use of points. We decided we would, plus if we want to trade out, we can.

Goodluck and have fun on your first trip to the land of the mouse!