Add-on: What would you do?

[d-r]

I honestly I am surprised about this, but it looks like we are going to add-on. We have 150 points at bcv, 70 points at wlv, and 100 points at SSR. We first bought in we were sans child, and the 70 points at wlv seemed perfect for a getaway studio weekend. But then we had a kid, and the cast member discount at SSR was too good to pass over than buy a resale at BVC or WLV, so we bought the 100 SSR points. So far that hasn't been any trouble for us, and we've been able to book what we wanted.

Now, I have to say that we are more of hotel people than condo people (I've stayed at OKW and I get it, I really do, and it is nice, it really is, but we always stayed at resorts prior to buying bcv and the hotel dvc is more us for most trips. But some trips the condo-rental car thing is OK). I like BCV a lot, more for the amenities; I like the location, I like the pool. I love wlv a whole lot. I love the atmosphere. It's the most "home" location to me, where the heart is. Not that I don't have an emotional attachment to the epcot area, I do, but wilderness lodge is the best to me.

So here we go. What would you do:
120 point add-on at SSR. This comes with 100 points at bcv for a one year as an incentive. Also, the points last for like forever, you get the extra ten years or whatever it is. Also, as our child grows older and wants to do more water parks/disney quest/other theme parks this type of vacation would be more attractive.

100 point add-on at WLV. Basically, after the incentives, etc, this is about a financial wash. We'd have 20 less points overall, and not have the 100 points one-time at bcv, and they'd expire 10 years earlier. The advantage would be we'd have 170 wlv points. This is buying from Disney, I don't want to buy a resell because we want to go through disney for various reasons and I'm satisfied with that, and I'm not asking about buying a re-sell.

But the thing is, if we go to 2-bedrooms for two-weeks a year, the extra 20 points at SSR make a difference. Also, that would be extra trips if we wanted to trade out, do a cruise, go to disneyland, whatever. We might do that sort of thing more when our child is older.

We wouldn't have as much of the 11-month window at WLV, and that worries me. But we could bank-borrow a year at WLV and have enough for an every-other year guarenteed stay, and have enogh BCV points for a guaranteed every-other year stay, then just use the SSR to get the best avialable. Which doesn't really sound that bad.

Now, with that background in mind, what would you do? WLV or SSR?
I'm serious about wanting opinions, and while I won't go with majority rules or anything I really do appreciate the input. Thanks.

 

[bobbiwoz]

If you really, really want to stay at the VWL, I think that's where you should buy your points. I know that we didn't have the will power to bank and then borrow, there are just 2 of us, and we only had 50 VWL points, so we recently added on 50. If we needed a 1 bedroom for the visits there, and we would if we had a child, I know that's where I would buy the points.

I liked SSR, but I wouldn't want that to be where most of my booking advantage is. Also, we are nearing retirement, the extra years at SSR mean nothing to us. We hope we don't have to sell our DVC, so we can overlook the fact that our points will probably lose value in the retail market sooner. I say "probably" but I really think the location of the WDW resorts (BWV and VWL) will keep the value of the points beyond the time we need. You are younger and have a different outlook, Pixie Dust!! Have fun with your add on points.

Bobbi

 

[jnrrt]

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you don't care about the extra 12 years, and you love VWL, and you need the extra 20 points, why don't you just buy 120 points at VWL? Then all you lose is the 100 bonus points. It costs a bit more, but over the life of the contract, it's not huge.

Otherwise, I'd still buy the VWL because you seem to love it, and then you don't have that worry every year about whether or not you'll get what you want. And your logic about using the SSR points wherever you can get them being fine with you for sometimes seems sound to me.

 

[d-r]

I understand what you are saying about the length of the contract, but we are prepared to spend X amount, and that was for the 120 points at SSR. We had decided to buy the 120 SSR points, and figured that budget out, but when I was talking to our guide to buy those found out they had the wlv points for resell in our use year. So this really is the comparison for us right now, 120 ssr vs. 100 wlv.

eta: we weren't really planning to add-on, so this is sort of a late decision before the price increase, which will go up for both SSR and the WLV resale points they have.

 

[Granny]

I love wlv a whole lot. I love the atmosphere. It's the most "home" location to me, where the heart is. Not that I don't have an emotional attachment to the epcot area, I do, but wilderness lodge is the best to me.

You've already provided the answer to your own question.

Good luck...it's a good decision to have to make!

 

[debloco]

You've already provided the answer to your own question.

Good luck...it's a good decision to have to make!

I have to agree with Granny on this one. But I will admit my bias in favor of the VWL since I own there and it feels most like "home" to me as well

 

[JimC]

I have to agree with Granny on this one. But I will admit my bias in favor of the VWL since I own there and it feels most like "home" to me as well

I agree with Granny and Deb. Buy where you want to stay. I am in the camp that VWL and BCV are going to be harder to trade into at 7 months so having the extra points where you really like (VWL) seems the right move.

 

[kathleena]

Sounds like you want to stay at VWL primarily. I would be too concerned that increased sales would make the 7 mos window even more challenging to get in there.

The 100 points is only good once so to me that's out of the equation - you could save that amount of $$$ on a resale and rent the 100 points if you really need it.

And so to me, your only real question is the extra time on the contract. Don't know how old you are, but how much has your life changed in 40 years so far? What do you think life will be like in 40 years?

Live for today!

 

[Laurajean1014]

I believe you will have more flexibility with SSR and it has more options if you want to stay at your home resort.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I have a new plan to read the posts here before voting. If it were me, I'd always go on the side of more posts, but you love the VWL so thats where you should go. You never know down the road how easy/hard these 11/7 windows will become so you have to make sure that you would REALLY be ok with staying at SSR most of the time if you had to. So I would have voted SSR, but for you I vote VWL.

 

[d-r]

I want to think everyone for posting. I really understand what you are saying.

This was the battle of the household for the past weekend.

I was on the side of the wilderness lodge points.

My wife, who I might add hasn't been willing to stay at SSR yet, is the pragmatist in our relationship. She was stuck on "more points, less money." Which is a good argument, I have to admit. She stuck with the point that by banking and borrowing we'd have an 11-month trip to VWL every other year, and an 11-month trip to BCV ever other year, and that for a second trip each year we could be happy with whatever is around at 7-months. So many options. Admittedly, none that I really *don't* like. "Will you always use the 11-month window?" she asked. "No," I thought, but I changed the subject. She'd also come around to other things we could do with points, how our habits may change over several years, extra points, extra points, less money, extra ten years, extra points.

I stretched out the discussion long enough for her to conceede "if you really, really want to pay more money for less points, then do it."

Well, that sort of put an end to my argument. I put up a feeble "OK, but if I have trouble getting what I want in the next few years, I'm selling them and buying re-sell." OK. That was pretty feeble.

So this morning I called member services and got a dedicated two-bedroom at wlv for a week inside the 7-month window. So there you have it, I'm the proud owner of 120 new SSR points. I'm sure the "Head" side of the argument was right, but the "Heart" side is still a little iffy on it.

Thanks again for the input. The comments were isightful, and they were dead on, and the vote was right done the middle.