About to Buy, but what's the catch?

[hartford604]

We are about to buy 210 at SSR.
2 kids 3&5
We are new to DVC.
How likely are we going to be able to book a 1 bedroom at VWL ?
How about a 2 bedroom?
We have stayed at the lodge the last 3 years(1-2 wks post easter).
Also before we send the contract back , what's the catch? Does anyone have anything bad about DVC or regrets buying?
What would you do differently?
What goodies should I ask for?

Also any other advice for a first time buyer would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[Granny]

There really are no catches to DVC. But there are some realistic expectations.

Each home resort gets priority in booking....in your example, you can book from 7-11 months in advance at SSR and not "compete" with any other DVC owners who don't own there. At the 7 month mark, any DVC resort is open to any DVC owner.

VWL is the smallest DVC resort...136 rooms, I think. So yes, you can book it at the 7 month window, but it will be tougher in general during busy times of the year such as early December and peak seasons.

Our main advice here is to buy where you want to stay the most. That is due to the booking advantage you enjoy at your home resort. If VWL is where you think you would want to stay on most trips, you'd be better off buying a VWL contract on the resale market (save yourself a little money too).

The most frequent regret you will hear here is that people wish they would have joined sooner before paying cash for resort reservations several times when they could have bought DVC with the same money and had nicer accommodations.

As for goodies...I'm not sure that you should ask for any. They will probably send you a bag, a print, a pin and/or some other goodies, but I've never heard of anyone asking for a specific goodie from Disney. Maybe someone else has a different perspective on this.


Good luck to you in your decision making process!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

The only thing I would do different is that I did not buy as soon as I knew about DVc. I am sorry I waited. Be prepared to add-on points. Lots of people do before they even take their first trip.

What goodies to ask for? not sure what you are asking here.

As far as WLV, it depends on when you try for reservations. You may find after staying at other DVC Resorts that you won't mind staying other places that WLV.

No catches that I know of, except that it will make it difficult to ever stay in a regular hotel room after staying at DVC. I knew in advance, no maid service unless paid for, and things like that. This is timeshare, not just a nicer Disney hotel room with all the same services. Most people that worry about not having daily maid service, adjust very, very quickly and find they prefer not having someone come into their room every day.

Welcome to the neighborhood. You will love your new home.

 

[floridafam]

Make sure you look at the resales before you buy SSR. Have you looked for a VWL resale?

Just make sure you review everything. We don't have any regrets about buying.

 

[Disney Enthusiast]

I agree w/ Granny and RweTHEREyet entirely. No catch for us. I bought into SSR in Oct of last year. Added on at BCV in Dec before my first trip home just like they said. Traveled home to BWV in late Jan/early Feb of this year and LOVED every single thing, every second, every experience involving my trip. It was marvelous! And since I have a 2 yr old, that is saying a lot.

Also, to reiterate what the previous poster said..... I used to stay at the GF Concierge and other Deluxe hotels throughout my travels to WDW. My DH and I were on the fence as to whether to buy because of "losing" the Deluxe quality of the hotels and moving into a more "Homey" version of them. I mean, who wants to do laundry while on vacation, right?! Then I had kids and we took the plunge. I'm telling you, I could never go back until the kids are grown and gone, and even then, I'd miss the villas. I had a few outfits I had to wash due to rain and messy babies, and I found it so helpful to heat bottles in the microwave, store food in the fridge, etc. And my picky eater could dine before we went to a restaurant so he was content and so were we. And the best thing was not having to travel down the hallways in my robe to snag a cup of coffee. I could make it myself and not scare my neighbors.

We've only owned for a little while, but we have become a different family because of it. I knew, if I didn't get to ride a ride this time, I had next time. I was much more relaxed. My next trip is already scheduled. How could something be wrong w/ that? Good luck w/ your decision.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Most everyone on this site will advise you to buy where you want to stay, and if you really think that you are going to want to stay at VWL most of the time, then you might want to look at resale contracts there. There are a few on the Timeshare Store's website ranging in price from $70-$72 per point, a far cry from the $95 per point DVD is asking for SSR. Of course with a resale, you "only" get another 38 yrs of DVC usage, while at SSR you will get 50. Plus if you buy direct from DVD, you can finance the purchase for up to 10 yrs.

If you buy at VWL, you will be able to reserve 11 months in advance, and given that it is the smallest of the DVC resorts, you need that advantage to score ressies during peak DVC times (different from peak WDW times, notably). If you want to buy at SSR, which looks gorgeous by the way, you will get the 11 month priority there, but only the 7 month window at the other DVC properties like VWL.

If you do buy direct from DVD, you generally get a very nice zippered travel tote and a matted lithograph of your home resort. Oh and if you have used a current member as a referral, they get a cash premium (I have usually sent that back over to the folks I have referred tho). That's about it for "goodies" unless you consider 50 yrs of great accommodations at WDW a goody.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I think the only "catch" is whether you're really going to use it and can afford it. If the commitment is too much of a financial stress, then it's not worth it. Remember the annual dues will be on top of the payments for any loan you take out. Also remember that overall it is cheaper to use the value resorts, and probably even the moderate resorts if you use discount codes -- which give significant savings.

Also, are you going to use the DVC resorts? Are you going to be using them 5 and 10 years from now? You can resell points but the going rate is $70 per point -- it may turn out a little higher for SSR due to the longer contract.

That said, I love DVC and intend to use it for years to come. If I skip a year I'll have twice as many points to use the next year -- for a GV or beach house.

 

[brentm3]

I am the King of Buyer's Remorse, I can second guess -anything- I buy, and I have to say the DVC is hands down the best purchase I have ever made.

...if you're 1/2 the skeptic I am, right about now you're saying aloud "okay, brentm3 is trying to justify his own purchase, read on" - that was my problem, anyway...the catch here truly is that there is no catch.

Good luck with your decision.

brentm3

 

[bom_noite]

WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get.

Not many downsides that I see. We have not had a hard time getting reservations at all. In fact, we booked our May trip in early April.

But, please keep in mind that our preference is always to go when the park and resorts are not crowded. If you want to get a room at SSR at Christmas and make the reservation in November, good luck.

Also, remember you are buying an asset. Cars depreciate, DVC has shown that it maintains and increases in value. While there are better investments, I do not see this as a losing proposition.

This will be our third family trip since our purchase (last year). That is 3 vacations for $600 or so dollers in maintenance fees. Despite the fact, based on the figures I am looking at we would break even if we sold today. Of course, no one knows how SSR resales will do, and, you will be in competition with DVC if you try and sell in the next few years.

My opinions.

 

[Uno]

That's right I've got two regrets. The first is that I didn't buy sooner and the second is that I didn't buy as many points as I know that I'm going to want.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Like most I would say buy where you want to stay. SSR should be beautiful to stay at, if it is not for you then I would not buy there. It will get more and more difficult as we get more members to get rooms at a small resort like WLV where you seem to want to stay at the 7 month window.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Originally posted by Pa@okw95
It will get more and more difficult as we get more members to get rooms at a small resort like WLV where you seem to want to stay at the 7 month window.

Not if all the new riff-raff are like us. We might stay at WLV as a curiosity but won't be counting the days until the 7 month window. We like to try them all but like to stay repeatedly at places with more breathing room.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I said the size of the resort not the size of the rooms. WLV has very few units to offer DVC members, that has nothing to do with the size of the rooms. So with more members coming on board there will be far less rooms available at the 7 month window, that applies to every DVC resort.

 

[goofy4dvc]

Another way to purchase VWL is to get on a waitlist from DVC. That way you can take advantage of the 10year financing, etc.

If you really want to purchase SSR with the 50 years, then another option for you is to make your ressies at SSR at the 11-month window, then at 7 months, try to get ressies at VWL. If not available, you wan waitlist. Depending on when you want to go, your waitlist may come through. VWL is busiest during most holidays and summers (basically, when school is out) and also during the entire month of December, due to homeowner meetings the first two weeks and then Christmas.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

My one and only regret is that I belived the cruise would be much more affordable as far as points go. We are looking forward to our cruise but it is a points monger and we could have rented points and paid cash but then we enter into something I wasn't planning on doing. I feel DVC should not push the cruise option as much as they do since it does work out better to pay cash.

Having not been home yet and newbies ourselves (just made the grand total payment last week) I cannot say anymore. I do wish we did it earlier and I wish I could have more points but that will come in time I hope LOL.

We are also the ones who second guess every decision and we made sure we scrutinized everything about the DVC (of course the cruise thing I discovered after coming to the boards) and we have no second guesses about buying. We find having the 50 years of vacation and not paying closing costs made Saratoga a better value for us as compared to a resale since we have a very young son 3 1/2 we intend on using every drop of our vacation club to the max LOL

 

[kem330]

Another vote for buy where you want to stay. The 11 month priority may be important especially as your kids get older and you will have to go over school vacations. Weeks around Easter are very difficult. Are you a person who wants a specific location or is anywhere okay with you.? In reality SSRS and OKW will always be the easiest to get into due to the quantity of units. VWL , BCV and BWV will be respectively harder. How important is the extra 12 years? Remember that's 12 more years of dues as well. If you don't care where you stay, one could make a case of buying OKW resale as the points are lower, the cost is lower and the units are bigger. If location is important buy VWL or BWV/BCV. With young children I'm not sure that PI / Downtown Disney location are going to be priority areas for you. Guides do tend to exaggerate the ability to book any resort and also the ability to exchange with II. So don't buy if you plan on using it to exchange out often. Resale is easy and you are treated exactly the same except you don't get a tote and lithograph (not a big deal!). Jaki at atimeshare.com is another source for resale.