Almost buying in...what is more important? Cost or Location?

[CindyTx]

Hello all,

I am having the most difficult time deciding what is a better deal.

Do you all think cost is more important or location or SSR with longer time period?

I can buy a resale for so much less than buying with Disney SSR...but I am not crazy for the home resort.

What would you have done differently if you had to buy again?

We are only interested in two bedrooms and up. And are looking for 300-350 pts. Are two bedrooms difficult to come by? In the summer?

Thanks in advance for the input.

Anyone know of any specials now?

Thanks,

Cindy

on the fence and hoping to find the perfect deal.

 

[TiggMan]

CindyTx,

The resales can look like a really good deal, but you have to remember to look at the ending date of the contract. If they end in 2042, you are looking at only having the contract for another 36 years, not 50 years. Use that number to determine your real cost per point and compare that to what Disney is charging. It may open your eyes.

To me. location was a key factor, with cost a very close second. However, you will be able to book your trip seven months out. Usually, that is sufficient time to get the type of room that you are looking for. FYI, all of the DVC resorts have two BRs, but not all have the three BR grand villa.

If I had to buy again, I would have done so sooner! We are taking advantge of the point flexibility and going to California at the Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa in August. The rooms look fantastic, and we're not paying a cent!

Good luck and hopefully, you'll be joining our "family."

 

[unixadm]

Cindy,

Only you can decide which is more important.

I decided that SSR was a better deal. It is 12 years longer. 01/54 expiration verses 01/42 expiration. Sure, we love staying at BCV or BWV, but I would have spent more for those (when you look at closing costs of resales) than I did buying direct from Disney, and I would have gotten 12 years less use out of it.

So far, we've never even stayed at SSR. We've stayed at BCV, then BWV, both last year, and are going back to BWV in 6 weeks. We took the Disney 7 night cruise last month. I was able to get Spring Break at BWV in a Standard View 1BR (I wanted the SV rather than PV...and they are harder to come by) I called 7 months in advance and got it, so it wasn't hard to do with advance notice.

Sure, I know that if I want to go at Christmas or during the Food and Wine Festival, or Garden show, BCV and BWV may be sold out before the 7 months. If that is the case, I can book at my home resort. It is still in the WDW resort area, and I can waitlist for another resort if I want. I waitlisted in September 2 months before we left and got my waitlist.

I've been thinking about adding on and was looking at the resale market.....I've decided to go SSR when I do add on.

As you know, buying SSR will get you an additional 12 years. That may be important if
1. You are young and will still be young enough to enjoy it for the next 47 years verse 35 years of the other resorts.
2. You are a bit older and plan on giving the points to your kids when they have their own families.
3. You plan on reselling in 15 or so years.

I fall into the #2 or #3 category. I'm nearly 40. In 15 years, there will only be 10 use years left on the other resorts, but 22 years left on SSR. I would expect that the resale of SSR at that point would be higher than the other resorts. My boys will be in college at that point. If they are all Disney'ed out, and aren't interested in inheriting the points, and my wife and I decided we would rather sell and use the money for different type vacations, we could do that and most likely, make more than we paid back (having 15 years of vacations in there as well). As you can see from the current market the used prices keep going up with the new prices....hopefully, that trend continues, at least with SSR.

It really is a personal choice.....if location is the most important to you, then definitely buy at the resort you would like to book at 11 months in advance. If you are flexible with dates or resorts, then it's better to go with the longer expiration time.

 

[mydogdrew]

Location is important to all DVC members. If it wasn't - we would own offsite. The extra 12 years is important but should not be overstated. There is no benefit associated with these extra years (except resale value -eventually) until 2042. I would not want to spend 36 years being disappointed with location with the upside of having another 12 years committed to a location that caused the disappointment in the first place. Obviously, if you like SSR then should buy it. We love BWV and justify the higher dues and shorter term of ownership by the fact that our 200 point contract has the buying power of a 250 point contract at SSR (when using std view point structure). Of course, now that F&F is over, the other advantage is that you can purchase DVCI resorts at a discount to SSR. I would suggest that the first twelve years of ownership will have a lot more to do with how happy you ultimately are with your purchase than the last twelve.

 

[No1HawkFan]

I don't know if I am allowed to do this but look at the listing that the sponsor has.

It it is OKW300-09-0131. It has a September use year. There are 237 banked points currently availalbe, which need to be used by 9/1/06 and 600 coming on 9/1/06 (300 + 300 banked from 2005). The property is "sale pending", however, I would call them for information on that listing. The buyer is going to get 537 free points right in the beginning. Those are valued at $5370. That means that the buyers true cost is $18,615 or $62.05. I don't think Disney can match that price.

Good Luck!!!

 

[Caskbill]

I don't know if I am allowed to do this but look at the listing that the sponsor has.

It it is OKW300-09-0131. It has a September use year. There are 237 banked points currently availalbe, which need to be used by 9/1/06 and 600 coming on 9/1/06 (300 + 300 banked from 2005). The property is "sale pending", however, I would call them for information on that listing. The buyer is going to get 537 free points right in the beginning. Those are valued at $5370. That means that the buyers true cost is $18,615 or $62.05. I don't think Disney can match that price.

Good Luck!!!

It'll be interesting to see if the sale passes ROFR.

 

[dtndfamily]

No matter where you decide to buy, just keep in mind that the initial price you pay for DVC will be dwarfed by the eventual cost of the maintenance fees. Saving $300 may sound like a good deal now, but that savings is not much when compared to the total cost of owning a piece of the magic. A lot of people fail to realize how significant the MFs will be in the long run, and owning SSR for the extra 12 years may or may not be a positive depending on how you look at it (having several thousand dollars in fees every year along with those darn prescription costs, etc). I purchased at SSR and am very happy with my purchase. Buy where you will be happy and try to get the best deal. Location before money, and you won't be disappointed. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[Northern Lights]

Cindy, we went through the same thing last year and ultimately decided to go BCV resale. The 7-11 month windows are not guaranteed to continue forever and I believe that as more larger DVC's get built like SSR, the smaller DVC resorts like BCV, BWV and VWL will be harder to come by for those owning at other resorts.

We chose BCV b/c that was our preferred location for our future WDW vacations. If we had to do it all over again we would do the same thing. In 15 years we will still have 20 years left on our contract. I think another young family like us will easily buy our contract for at least what we paid for it, if not more. (and if they don't then that is okay as well b/c it would have paid for itself already).

Now, the only problem with resale is the process is longer and a bit painful. If you are looking to use your points for a vacation this summer start the process ASAP. It took us over 2 months from the date we signed the contract until we were finally in the DVC system.

 

[browniemtb]

I really didn't read all the above posts but you ask about cost or location. You will find that members have feeling one way or another. I guess I'll give you my point of view since we just bought in January. We looked at SSR and knew about the Friends and Family deal but my wife, who is the boss, enjoys being connected to the parks. The only DVC resorts as of now are the BWV and BCV and VWL. Since BCV and VWL are both sold out and have a waitlist we opted to BWV. Yes we paid more, a lot more, but now I'm comforted to know that I have the 11 month window on one of the most demanded properties in the DVC system. Thats not to say that at the 7 month mark there would be a problem....because honestly I don't know...I'm new. For me, I want to know if I plan that far in advance that I would get what I'm looking for. So to sum it up it was location........and in the back of my mind I thought if I want to get out in a couple of years BWV will carry a higher resale.
If you can get a good deal of the resale market go for it.......
Brownie

 

[crisi]

For me, cost is secondary to the satisfaction of being somewhere I want to be. That said, I really do think I'd be happy if "home" were any of the DVC resorts, except SSR (I'm sure its a lovely resort, it just isn't to my taste). I'd rather spend more on a contract and member fees to have what I want.

The one thing you should think about is that many people think smaller resorts will continue to get harder and harder to book if you don't have the home resort advantage. So if you LOVE VWL and are looking to purchase SSR for the extra twelve years, expecting to stay at VWL, you may regret your purchase.

 

[Beca]

There are so many things to consider in this equation:

1) As someone mentioned above....do the math....the cost of the points initially is SOOO much cheaper than the cost of maintenance over the long haul. SSR may look like a bargain, but there are some who believe (I know this because they have emailed me regarding this), that DVC will eventually stop being a bargain because the high costs of maintenance fees keep going up. Getting out 12 years early may be a blessing in 2042. I am not sure I feel this way (I don't worry about the future that much), but I do think it is worth mentioning.

2) Look at the cost of rooms each night. If you are looking at 2 bdrms and grand villas....you need to look at a couple of things. First, look at the cost per night of a grand villa at OKW, versus the cost per night of a grand villa at SSR....OKW is MUCH cheaper. The catch is...you pretty much need to be an owner at OKW to get those grand villas on a regular basis. However, the same is true of the 2 bdrms at OKW....they are cheaper. Also, look at the "standard view" options at BWV...they are on average 30% cheaper than the preferred/bwv rooms....basically, you get Epcot/MGM location at OKW prices. The grand villas, however are MUCH more expensive than those at OKW, and there are very few of them. However, my point is this.....the number of points you actually need is determined by how many points you need per night at the resort where you plan on staying most of the time. Both OKW and BWV standard are cheaper (most of the time) than SSR. This means fewer points, and lower maintenance fees (because you have fewer points).

3) SSR is NOT the only resort you can get via DVC direct. You can get ANY of the resorts. Usually DVC has all resorts available except BCV, but someone posted here that they got a 160 pt BCV contract last week as a new member. Just tell your guide which resort you want. Now, the "specials" do not apply to sold out resorts....they are simply $92 per point, but you can get them.

Whether or not a longer contract or location is more important is really a matter of personal choice. For me....vacations are too precious to stay in a resort that I don't care for, and "knowing" that I can get my favorite resort all the time (if I plan ahead) is the most important aspect for me. My money is important to me, but the precious few weeks that my dh gets off for vacation are even more important.....and, we don't get a second chance to have the "perfect" vacation when my dd is 4, or 5, or 6....or so on. You only get one shot to make great memories when children are little!!! I want my dd to grow up vacationing steps away from Epcot, with unlimited access to SAB, and what we consider the best resort on WDW property...BCV. We always say, "DVC is a really expensive timeshare if you are not 'thrilled' with your purchase....but, it is a bargain if you are!"

Do what works for you!!



Beca

 

[Cinderpals]

Hi!

I went through the same thoughts about location versus point cost before buying into the BCV and BWVs. I went with location because, eventhough, it's 50/50 whether or not I need my 11 month booking priority, I want to stay at the BCV or BWVs when I want to. Once I decided that I wanted location, location, I looked for the best contract available. I'm so glad that I didn't decide to buy much less expensive HH or Vero Beach per point contracts, (I'm not knocking those resorts) before I purchased my points at BCV and BWVs. It has helped being able to book 8 months out at the BCV or BWV for the type of accomodations that I wanted. I had a standard 1 bdrm booked for Christmas Week, but decided to change to 1 bdrm Boardwalk View well within the 7 month booking window. I've had a "family reunion" fall through, so I had a lot of extra points to rent out during the last 4 months. Wow! I really believe that I used my 11 month priority for almost every point rental. In the future, I plan to use as many points for my own use, but it really helped me use up some points that I needed to. I wouldn't have been able to do that with points from other locations as easily. Plus, I believe that when I sell one or two of my contracts (since I have different UYs, and it's driving me crazy!!), I'll see that value again with selling a BCV or BWV contract.

I tried out the SSR, but didn't like the location as much as the BCV or BWVs. I thought about buying into the VWL, but prefer the hotel deluxe rooms during the Christmas Season for just a few nights.

 

[chloe]

We ultimately bought at VWL and the deciding factor was reading *many* posts just like yours!


I saw too many posts along the lines of, “Should I buy SSR, even though it’s not my favorite – then use the 7 mo window to switch?” While this board might not be a representative sampling of the real world, there were just too many posts of this type to feel comfortable.


For the amount of money I’m laying down, I want to stay where I want to stay. While many people --- so far --- have been able to book at the smaller resorts at the 7 mo window some predict it will only get harder and harder as DVC grows.

If location is truly important to you then BUY WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY – don’t gamble on future reservation patterns.
Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY WHERE YOU DON”T WANT TO STAY. Double negative aside, that’s just silly.

 

[Plutofan]

If you will never book earlier than 7 months out then I would go with SSR. If at some point you will be disappointed not getting in at a specific DVC resort at peak times like Christmas then I would definitly think about buying where you want to stay. SSR does offer the extra 12 years and I would assume that it will have one of the lower annual dues since they have the most points to spread the costs over. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Daitcher]

Cindy, we went through the same thing last year and ultimately decided to go BCV resale. The 7-11 month windows are not guaranteed to continue forever and I believe that as more larger DVC's get built like SSR, the smaller DVC resorts like BCV, BWV and VWL will be harder to come by for those owning at other resorts.

Why spread this paranoia? What possible motive would DVC have to rescind these booking rights? Do you really believe they will do this? If not why post it. We would all love to hear your reasons fro DVC rescinding this right. To the OP, DVC isn't going to rewrite the entire program to end the 7-11 month windows. It is costly and it would generate bad press. Also, how would anyone looking to buy into new DVC offerings trust DVC? Who knows what else they would change. It is all about money and there is no reason to change a program that works. If you must have an Epcot Resort during F&W Fest. then consider an Epcot Resort. That is the only reason for not buying SSR. Lets do some simple math here. 12 years is huge folks, it is a 1/4 of the contract extra when buying SSR. To make the numbers easy lets assume a $20,000 buy in at SSR. $20,000 divided by 48 years of use is $416.66 a year not counting annual dues. Now lets assume the same $20,000 buy in at an older DVC Resort with 36 years of use: $555.55 per year it cost you. That is $138.89 more to own a resort with 12 less use years. Throw in the fact that SSR has the lowest dues and it is a no brainer. Booking at 7 months is a piece of cake. I've never been denied and besides lets face it, staying at any of the resorts is hardly a fate worse than death. For the real parnoid, book your home at 11 months to be safe. At 7 months switch to your resort of choice.


DAVE

 

[Northern Lights]

Daitcher, you're the one that sounds paranoid. The OP asked for opinions. I gave her a consideration that we used in making the decision. It is called supply and demand and in real estate location rules. Why do you think Disney charges so much more for CR than AKL?

The simple fact of the matter is that the booking window is not guaranteed to continue forever. It may and it may not. The current booking window system exists to give the respective home resort members a booking preference. As the number of members increase with the addition of newer resorts, the booking windows may be adjusted to allow the home resort members to continue to hold the same preference they have today. Even if Disney does not change the booking window, booking outside your home resort will be more difficult as more home resort members adjust their behavior and start booking further in advance to ensure they get their home resort.

Why do you perpetuate the myth that booking at 7 months is a piece of cake?It is certainly not for more than just FWF. Try spring break, Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving as well. As DVC adds more members, and DVC does not add more sought after locations like Epcot or MK resort areas, booking outside into one of these smaller resorts will only become harder - that is truly a no brainer.

 

[magsmom]

We were one of the last ones to be able to choose between BCV and SSR when SSR was 1st offered back in August 2003. We choose SSR due to the longer time (2044 v. 2054) even though it was $5 (?) more per point. We were thrilled to have bought in at that point, and had never stayed on property prior to buying, much less staying DVC.

3 years have now passed and we have never stayed at SSR. My family is totally spoiled by staying at the Epcot resorts and at VWL, but staying there requires planing right for the 7 month window and having to actually pay more for the preferred view at BWV.

 

[unixadm]

Cindy, we went through the same thing last year and ultimately decided to go BCV resale. The 7-11 month windows are not guaranteed to continue forever and I believe that as more larger DVC's get built like SSR, the smaller DVC resorts like BCV, BWV and VWL will be harder to come by for those owning at other resorts.

Why spread this paranoia? What possible motive would DVC have to rescind these booking rights? Do you really believe they will do this? If not why post it.
DAVE

Dave....Northern Lights was not saying that Disney would rescind the rights, but that the resorts wouldn't be available at the 7 month window.

SSR is the largest of the resorts and is still growing. I know I own there and haven't stayed there yet. In the future, if they add additional resorts, people may buy into those, but prefer to stay at BWV, BCV, WLV, etc. What could eventually happen is that there will be so many people that book at resorts other than their own that it will be nearly impossible to get the dates you want unless you either own there, or call on the day of your 7 month window. It may be like people trying to get CRT at Magic Kingdom....Wake up and call in when the phones open at 9am at your 7 month window and see if you can get the dates you want. It may get harder and harder to get certain dates and certain resorts.

As I said in my previous post, that is a matter of choice whether that is acceptable. For me, I would rather have the extra 12 years, and know that I can always get a resort in the WDW area. There are resorts I prefer, but I'm still happy staying at others. I wouldn't have purchased HHI, or VB because it wouldn't guarantee me the WDW area. Other people are more particular and want a specific resort. They should buy where they want if they won't be happy staying at SSR.

 

[mydogdrew]

Daitcher, you're the one that sounds paranoid. The OP asked for opinions. I gave her a consideration that we used in making the decision. It is called supply and demand and in real estate location rules. Why do you think Disney charges so much more for CR than AKL?

The simple fact of the matter is that the booking window is not guaranteed to continue forever. It may and it may not. The current booking window system exists to give the respective home resort members a booking preference. As the number of members increase with the addition of newer resorts, the booking windows may be adjusted to allow the home resort members to continue to hold the same preference they have today. Even if Disney does not change the booking window, booking outside your home resort will be more difficult as more home resort members adjust their behavior and start booking further in advance to ensure they get their home resort.

Why do you perpetuate the myth that booking at 7 months is a piece of cake?It is certainly not for more than just FWF. Try spring break, Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving as well. As DVC adds more members, and DVC does not add more sought after locations like Epcot or MK resort areas, booking outside into one of these smaller resorts will only become harder - that is truly a no brainer.

Also, there are far more members at the sold out resorts then there were when they sold-out originally. Many members have purchased small contracts resale (we started that way). Disney buys back the big contracts ROFR and sells a lot of 50-100 point add-on's (we bought one of those too). You can see the demand for 50 point resales and the premium paid for them. This results in owners who are more in tune with the 11-month window as well as weekday only stays.

 

[crisi]

Also, there are far more members at the sold out resorts then there were when they sold-out originally. Many members have purchased small contracts resale (we started that way). Disney buys back the big contracts ROFR and sells a lot of 50-100 point add-on's (we bought one of those too). You can see the demand for 50 point resales and the premium paid for them. This results in owners who are more in tune with the 11-month window as well as weekday only stays.

Yep, over the rest of the contract life, I expect to see a lot more of that. Either people who are used to being able to book at home after the seven month window opens being frozen out of home and switching their reservation styles, or people who haven't had a problem getting into their preferred but non-home resort having one issue and deciding its worth an add on (or reselling their original contract and buying into the resort they prefer). A few BCV/BWVs contracts are listed at the Timeshare Store for $90 a point....OKW is listing in the $70s and VB in the $60s. There isn't a $10-$15 point differential because people are buying BCV intending to stay at OKW....there is a $10-$15 point differential because people want the home resort advantage at BCVs and are willing to pay more dues and more upfront to get it.