BCV/BWV

[Wakey]

I’ve not had problems getting 1 beds at either resort at 7 months, including Beach Club at Xmas a couple of years ago. A bit of walking may be required, more for Beach than Boardwalk. I’ve even had a Boardwalk standard 2 bed in summer.
we prefer Boardwalk.
So whilst it’s never guaranteed, you may be better spending more points and going 1 beds, you should get Boardwalk.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I get that. I definitely would want to stay at BWV like say 90% of the time but maybe occasionally would want to try VGF to AKL..like once or twice.

90%+ isn't SAP territory. SAP is "want to try all the resorts!!!"

 

[Cheetara03]

I just bought BCV. My family doesn’t want to stay anywhere else and to rent points for a 1 bedroom there it’s like $5000! Hubby was like why don’t we put that toward buying our own points??? Now we can book there with priority. At the 7 month window it’s too stressful and may not always get it.

I am the same age as you with kids that are 9 and 10. I did some calculations when comparing BCV resale or RIV direct. Didn’t consider BCV direct cause it was $265/pp! Here were my calculations for 200 points:

BCV 200 points $30,781
Dues over 20 years $32,640
Total $63,421 which comes out to $3,171.05/ a year

RIV 200 points $38,592.68 (price off website so not sure about additional closing fees)
Dues over 48 years $80,544
Total $119,136.68, which comes out to $2,482.01/a year

BCV vs RIV
RIV savings of $689 per trip (once a year)
RIV 28 years longer
Lifetime savings going with BCV: $55,715.68

Based on the lifetime savings we went with BCV. I’ll be 62 and my kids 29 and 30 at that point. Sounds like perfect timing to reassess!

Good luck with your choice! But I bet I’ll see ya at BCV!

 

[Craho]

Agree. AS a BWV owner, we book at 11 months at stick with it. LOVE the ability to walk to 2 parks, walk back to our resort at the end of the night. Have great restaurants within walking distance or on the Skyliner route. At 7 months, BWV is hard to get.

Love all of this about BWV. The points seem to be reasonable value too. I want to start with a small contract re-sale maybe 50-80 points. I’m hoping that will get us a studio or possibly 1-bedroom every other year.

 

[Nabas]

I just bought BCV. My family doesn’t want to stay anywhere else and to rent points for a 1 bedroom there it’s like $5000! Hubby was like why don’t we put that toward buying our own points??? Now we can book there with priority. At the 7 month window it’s too stressful and may not always get it.

I am the same age as you with kids that are 9 and 10. I did some calculations when comparing BCV resale or RIV direct. Didn’t consider BCV direct cause it was $265/pp! Here were my calculations for 200 points:

BCV 200 points $30,781
Dues over 20 years $32,640
Total $63,421 which comes out to $3,171.05/ a year

RIV 200 points $38,592.68 (price off website so not sure about additional closing fees)
Dues over 48 years $80,544
Total $119,136.68, which comes out to $2,482.01/a year

BCV vs RIV
RIV savings of $689 per trip (once a year)
RIV 28 years longer
Lifetime savings going with BCV: $55,715.68

Based on the lifetime savings we went with BCV. I’ll be 62 and my kids 29 and 30 at that point. Sounds like perfect timing to reassess!

Good luck with your choice! But I bet I’ll see ya at BCV!

When considering Lifetime Savings, you can sell RIV and get back a big chunk of change in 19 years.

Given DVC's historical resale value and inflation, it's possible that in 20 years someone will be able to sell a 200-point RIV contract for what they paid in 2022. And once they sell, they are no longer paying maintenance fees.

If your plan is to vacation at WDW for the next 19 years, then RIV almost certainly is a much better value.

 

[Cheetara03]

When considering Lifetime Savings, you can sell RIV and get back a big chunk of change in 19 years.

Given DVC's historical resale value and inflation, it's possible that in 20 years someone will be able to sell a 200-point RIV contract for what they paid in 2022. And once they sell, they are no longer paying maintenance fees.

If your plan is to vacation at WDW for the next 19 years, then RIV almost certainly is a much better value.

Thanks! That’s true about reselling the contract. I’m just uncertain of the value because the resale restrictions will only allow new owners to book at RIV and no other resort.

 

[Nabas]

Thanks! That’s true about reselling the contract. I’m just uncertain of the value because the resale restrictions will only allow new owners to book at RIV and no other resort.

Let's compare current resale prices to get a sense of how much the RIV's current restriction impacts resale price.

DVC Resale Market reports that for the month of October, VGF averaged $170pp while RIV averaged $143pp. There are several factors that affect resale price but with both VGF and RIV being actively sold by Disney, this difference gives us a rough idea of how much restrictions impact resale prices.

 

[Cheetara03]

Let's compare current resale prices to get a sense of how much the RIV's current restriction impacts resale price.

DVC Resale Market reports that for the month of October, VGF averaged $170pp while RIV averaged $143pp. There are several factors that affect resale price but with both VGF and RIV being actively sold by Disney, this difference gives us a rough idea of how much restrictions impact resale prices.

Good thinking! So you do get a nice chunk of change back. I guess my bottom line was that our family doesn’t want to stay anywhere else but BCV so the 11 month priority was important for us. DVC decisions are so personal! Lol

 

[Nabas]

Good thinking! So you do get a nice chunk of change back. I guess my bottom line was that our family doesn’t want to stay anywhere else but BCV so the 11 month priority was important for us. DVC decisions are so personal! Lol

That’s generally the #1 DVC rule - buy where you want to stay.

We currently own at BWV, my favorite, and I would not trade it for a contract at another DVC resort with an extra 20 years.

 

[Craho]

That’s generally the #1 DVC rule - buy where you want to stay.

We currently own at BWV, my favorite, and I would not trade it for a contract at another DVC resort with an extra 20 years.

This is exactly what I am thinking. But it’s tempting to buy SS or OKW because there are so many more listings for our needs. December UY and under 100 points. I’m waiting for a perfect contract to pop up but can’t help but wonder..would it be that hard to just switch at 7 months? I read some people own at SS and have never stayed there!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

This is exactly what I am thinking. But it’s tempting to buy SS or OKW because there are so many more listings for our needs. December UY and under 100 points. I’m waiting for a perfect contract to pop up but can’t help but wonder..would it be that hard to just switch at 7 months? I read some people own at SS and have never stayed there!

It is that hard to switch to BWV or BCV unless you own 1BR points, and even then in fall it can be difficult.

It's only going to get harder in the next 20 years, as well.

 

[CarolynFH]

I read some people own at SS and have never stayed there!

As above, swapping out is getting harder to do. As the number of DVC members increases, more and more owners of not-BWV are competing with each other to book BWV (and BCV and other "more desirable than SSR" resorts) at 7 months. So if you're happy staying at SSR or OKW (they're both lovely resorts) if you can't get BWV at 7 months, then buy at SSR or OKW. But if you'll be very unhappy to be "trapped" at SSR or OKW, don't buy there.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

As above, swapping out is getting harder to do. As the number of DVC members increases, more and more owners of not-BWV are competing with each other to book BWV (and BCV and other "more desirable than SSR" resorts) at 7 months. So if you're happy staying at SSR or OKW (they're both lovely resorts) if you can't get BWV at 7 months, then buy at SSR or OKW. But if you'll be very unhappy to be "trapped" at SSR or OKW, don't buy there.

I would also argue that anyone today buying BCV/BWV points is doing it for 11-month access and won't often be giving up that room at 7 months.

 

[CarolynFH]

I would also argue that anyone today buying BCV/BWV points is doing it for 11-month access and won't often be giving up that room at 7 months.

Indeed - another consideration for you, @Craho.

 

[CarolMN]

If your family only wants to stay at BCV, then buy there. You need the 11 month priority to be able to stay there on a regular basis.

Any savings you get from buying elsewhere will soon be forgotten if you are stuck staying somewhere you really don't want to be!

 

[Craho]

As above, swapping out is getting harder to do. As the number of DVC members increases, more and more owners of not-BWV are competing with each other to book BWV (and BCV and other "more desirable than SSR" resorts) at 7 months. So if you're happy staying at SSR or OKW (they're both lovely resorts) if you can't get BWV at 7 months, then buy at SSR or OKW. But if you'll be very unhappy to be "trapped" at SSR or OKW, don't buy there.

Thank you for this! Just put an offer in at BWV. Small contract. I may be a few points shy of getting a 1 BDR. Can I but points through Disney to add onto my reservation at 11 months or only 8 months?

 

[CarolynFH]

Thank you for this! Just put an offer in at BWV. Small contract. I may be a few points shy of getting a 1 BDR. Can I but points through Disney to add onto my reservation at 11 months or only 8 months?

Congratulations, hope your purchase goes through!

You can buy One Time Use Points at 7 months, when making the reservation you want them for. At BWV, you might want to book what you can at 11 months and then hope that the rest will be available at 7 months, so you can call MS to buy the OTUP and finish booking.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

In 2019, I made my first DVC purchase and really wanted BCV because of food and Wine festival and love BCV’s location to Epcot (and boat to HS). The 2042 date scared me away and I ended up buying Copper Creek in 2019 instead which I love but still couldn’t stop thinking and talking about BCV. Hubby finally got tired of me talking about BCV and said to just “buy it already because the 2042 date is not going to change and we will still have it to enjoy for almost 2 decades.”Finally added on BCV resale and closed early this year. I’m 47yrs old with a 9 yr old daughter so we can enjoy it through her teen years and, if she wants to join us still, through her twenties. We will still have Copper Creek and Grand Floridian to enjoy after 2042. We stayed last month at BCV for the first time and loved it and have no buyers remorse. Sometimes it’s not about the best financial decision. It’s just what the heart wants or saving hubby 20 years of listening to me complain about really wanting BCV but “if it only didn’t have the 2042 Expiration Date!!!” To him that’s probably priceless LOL.

Great comment. If you love a resort, buy there! There are still 20 years to enjoy it. We bought into BCV in 2020 and the shorter contract didn’t matter at all to us. That’s because we love BCV and it’s our favorite resort, hands down. So we knew if we bought into, say, BWV or any other longer contract resort that we would regret the decision to not buy BCV every time we were staying at the resort we bought into. BCV is a tough get, so we needed the assurance of being able to book there at 11 months.

We haven’t regretted the decision AT ALL. On the contrary, during each stay (since we purchased) we have commented how lucky we are to own there.

 

[gharter]

As above, swapping out is getting harder to do. As the number of DVC members increases, more and more owners of not-BWV are competing with each other to book BWV (and BCV and other "more desirable than SSR" resorts) at 7 months. So if you're happy staying at SSR or OKW (they're both lovely resorts) if you can't get BWV at 7 months, then buy at SSR or OKW. But if you'll be very unhappy to be "trapped" at SSR or OKW, don't buy there.

Absolutely true. We stay at BWV during F&W. Getting in there at 7 months is very difficult. When we first purchased, some years back, our first sty was just before 7 months and we could get a 1 Br for 4 days and that was it. Nothing else available. since then, it has only gotten more difficult.

 

[Redheadprincess]

I would also argue that anyone today buying BCV/BWV points is doing it for 11-month access and won't often be giving up that room at 7 months.

Yep, I agree. I'm on at 11 months to book my BCV studios as of they were going to be fully booked.