Advice - Beach Lovers that Desire WDW every 3 yrs

[eengmd]

My wife and I returned from Disney and were very intrigued by DVC. Initially we thought about taking the disney offer on BLT and have 24 hours before the price goes up on us to 127$. It stands at 117 for the # of pts were are looking at.

Our favorite vacation is Kiawah Island but enjoyed WDW. We are definitely not the type of family that wishes to be at WDW during busy times that is why we went in February when we rode Kali River Rapids back to back to back without a greater than 5 minute wait. We stayed at AKL and enjoyed it but definitely see convenience of BLT.

I was thinking buying a resale of HHI and skipping it every 3 years to trade for a vacation in WDW. Could I still get BLT in January or early February in a 1 BR? Is HHI impossible to get in the summer if I am not an owner there?

What would you buy given that our situation? Is HHI on par for the Dsney standard?

Thanks for your help. I am glad I found this message board. I have spent 3 hours reading all the advice which I am grateful for.

 

[BWV2001]

Personally, if I wanted to visit WDW only every 3 years or so, I wouldn't buy into DVC. Don't get me wrong, we are members and have enjoyed our membership immensely for 11 years. And we've stayed at HHI and really enjoyed it. However, for what you would be paying for DVC including the annual dues, I would think you could do better just paying for accommodations at Hilton Head when you go, then possibly renting points from a DVC member for your WDW stays. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your decision.

 

[eengmd]

Thanks for your input. I can purchase 200+ points for HHI which I could do once a year for a week during the summer for about 50$ a point. Knowing the price and dues 5.6 per point would you still rent. I find myself wrestling with the commitment to take an annual family vacation versus continuing to pay out of pocket.

Any experience on difficulty of WDW reservations in January?

Thanks again for your advice.

 

[Sammie]

Getting HHI in the summer without the 11 month booking is very hard.

Getting WDW in Jan or early Feb before President's day at this time is possible. But when you buy DVC please know that you are guaranteed nothing from DVC but booking at your home resort with a at least a one month advantage.

They have the right to make changes.

 

[hellerjw]

The 2 weeks surrounding Easter and the months of June-August are the busiest times for the HHI resort and it can be very difficult to reserve the smaller units if you aren't an owner (the vast majority of units there are 2BRs). We found it very difficult to book studios and 1BRs at the 7 month mark during these months which is why we became owners there. We knew we needed a more relaxing vacation from time to time and so far owning at HHI has been ideal for us. We can still stay at a WDW resort and do all the exciting things it has to offer or we can do the relaxing beach vacation when we want to save a little cash or enjoy a more laid back trip. It's a great resort - well maintained, convenient to many restaurants, excellent activities for kids and families, and some of the best CMs in the DVC system. We live about 4 1/2 hours from HHI and would be happy staying there each trip even if DVC suddenly decided to take away our ability to book other DVC resorts so for us that's a non-issue.

I don't think you will have any problem booking BLT in Jan & Feb, especially if you are traveling after New Years and before President's Day. Basically anytime the kids would normally be in school is a good time to go during these months. There's always VWL to fall back on if you aren't able to book at BLT for a particular trip and you still get within boat distance of MK. My wife and I both have a birthday in Jan. & Feb. and we used to go often during these months and loved it. The crowds were light and the weather was normally mild.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks for your input. I can purchase 200+ points for HHI which I could do once a year for a week during the summer for about 50$ a point. Knowing the price and dues 5.6 per point would you still rent. I find myself wrestling with the commitment to take an annual family vacation versus continuing to pay out of pocket.

Any experience on difficulty of WDW reservations in January?

Thanks again for your advice.

If you are thinking of buying in at HH to use on the years you don't go to WDW, then buying an off property resort makes sense.

BLT is very popular and getting SV or MK view rooms at 7 months is difficult, but at this time, LV seems to be possible, if you call right at 7 months.

If you could not get in to BLT, I am sure there would be something on property for you to book and you could then wait list BLT. If staying at BLT is a must when you visit, then I might think about adding on a small amount of BLT points in the future so you can use the 11 month booking advantage. At least this way, you will give yourself time to know whether your HH points are getting you what you want on those trips to WDW.

But, I agree, owning BLT points will not be easy to use at HH in the summer.

 

[tammymacb]

We currently own 420 points at HHI. We primarily use our points for Spring Break and summer at Hilton Head.

The resort is fantastic and I'm so glad we own there. I actually did some banking and am taking almost 30 people for my birthday this August. I've booked a grand villa, a 2 bedroom and two studios at exactly 11 months out.

If you like Kiawah I think you'll like HHI. We live in Charleston so we're familiar with both. And, unless you are lucky and score a 2 bedroom, smaller units are very difficult to book outside the 7 month window.

Though, I primarily use my points for Hilton Head, I do use them for WDW. This year at 7 months I got Beach Club for the Food and Wine festival. I've gotten Animal Kingdom Lodge - savannah view at 7 months. I've gotten Boardwalk standard view for a January trip.

I'm in the process of buying my very last add on ( at BWV ) because I go to Food and Wine every year and would like a home resort booking advantage. If not for that, I've never been shut out at WDW.

 

[eengmd]

Am I understanding the home booking advantage correctly?

If I own 250 points at HHI and another 100 at BLT, the home booking advantage only gives the the number of days equivalent to 100 pts at BLT 11 months out, then I have to wait and see if I get lucky for the remainder if I desire to use another 100 from HHI.

Also, can DVC ever take away me using another property in the future within DVC?

 

[Sandisw]

Am I understanding the home booking advantage correctly?

If I own 250 points at HHI and another 100 at BLT, the home booking advantage only gives the the number of days equivalent to 100 pts at BLT 11 months out, then I have to wait and see if I get lucky for the remainder if I desire to use another 100 from HHI.

Also, can DVC ever take away me using another property in the future within DVC?

Yes, that is how it works. Points can only be used at the resort they are associated with between the 7 and 11 month window. So, if you own 100 BLT points, that is all you can use at 11 months, unless you have banked or want to borrow some of your BLT points. In this case, you could end up with 300 BLT points to use every 3 years.

Technically, DVC can limit owners to booking at home resort only. In order to do this, however (from the way I understand it) is that they have to remove your home resort from the "group". As long as it remains, you will have the right to trade.

If that were to ever happen, I do think that HH and VB are more vulnerable than the WDW resorts. Likely, no--possible, yes.

 

[chalee94]

be aware that the HHI DVC resort is not on the beach. you'd have to drive or take a shuttle for the mile or so from the resort to the DVC beach house.

if you primarily wanted a timeshare on the beach, you might want to look at marriott resales - grande ocean and barony beach, especially - but marriott is with II so you could not trade into DVC as long as DVC is in RCI. marriott does have some nice offsite timeshares in orlando...but if onsite at wdw is essential, it wouldn't work out...

 

[bobbiwoz]

DVC HHI is not on the beach, it's on a tidal creek, and it has lovely marsh views. It's not hard to get to the beach. Disney has a beach house, with covered parking, a pool, and a snack bar.