Benefit of higher priced resort

[nyzat]

I am going to make a purchase but am contemplating whether I should spend more money to get 150 points at Baylake or am I better off speinding the same money and getting more points somewhere else like the Wilderness Lodge. There is about a $25 per point cost difference between these locations so its substantial. I also plan on using points to go to other timeshare locations throughout the country.

Also, if I have 150 points at Wildreness lodge how difficult is it to get availability at another rDisney resort within the 7 month advance booking timeframe?

Your response is appreciated....

 

[chalee94]

at 7 months out, points are points. doesn't matter if they are aulani/hawaii, BLT, VWL or SSR. if you can't book more than 7 months out, buy wherever is cheapest.

if you can book 10-11 months out, "buy where you want to stay" or at least "where you don't mind staying." no point spending 5 figures only to feel "stuck" at VWL or wherever when you'd rather be at BLT.

at 7 months out, it is usually easiest to get into the larger resorts: OKW, SSR and some villas at AKV (not value or concierge villas).

anything can happen but i wouldn't recommend trying to get the resort you love at 7 months if you'll be disappointed if you are locked out. booking at 10-11 months is pretty much a lock...at 7 months, you might be disappointed.

 

[DVC Grandpa]

This is only one mans view of buying at a location where you will enjoy for the duration on your membership. When the kids are small, BLT may be the right place being that the Magic Kingdom may be your primary destination but when the young ones aren’t with you or have grown up so that another park draws more interest than the Magic Kingdom, than perhaps you would enjoy being in a more central location like BCV or BWV. At BLT roundtrip transportation to other locations is time consuming both by monorail or bus. We own at BCV by luck, it was the vacation club being built when we decided to buy. For us it has been the ideal location. Since out kids are older now and on their own they can’t always travel on our schedule but when they do come they enjoy EPCOT for many reasons but basically because of the meal selections, entertainment offered, special events and enjoy the various libation offered throughout the park. On those occasions’ when grand kids come along, then we have to take that monorail trip to the Magic Kingdom and spend the day. The Studio is a short boat trip and Animal Kingdom is one of those longer bus rides. As life goes on, our interest have changed and those of our kids likewise and I believe that has to be part of your selection process. In the long run, I think you would like to be around the more adult entertainment such as selection of signature dining and special events without having to take a bus, boat or monorail each time. As I said, this is just on mans view.

 

[RescueRanger]

I am going to make a purchase but am contemplating whether I should spend more money to get 150 points at Baylake or am I better off speinding the same money and getting more points somewhere else like the Wilderness Lodge. There is about a $25 per point cost difference between these locations so its substantial. I also plan on using points to go to other timeshare locations throughout the country.

Also, if I have 150 points at Wildreness lodge how difficult is it to get availability at another rDisney resort within the 7 month advance booking timeframe?

Your response is appreciated....

If you are planning on going to other timeshares through the trade out with RCI, I would rethink if DVC is right for you. DVCs value really is with using it to stay at a DVC resort. Others with more knowledge than me can probably explain it better, but it really doesn't make financial sense to use DVC that way. An occasional trip with RCI maybe, but not if you are planning on doing it routinely.

 

[chalee94]

If you are planning on going to other timeshares through the trade out with RCI, I would rethink if DVC is right for you. DVCs value really is with using it to stay at a DVC resort. Others with more knowledge than me can probably explain it better, but it really doesn't make financial sense to use DVC that way. An occasional trip with RCI maybe, but not if you are planning on doing it routinely.

i would agree with this.

don't buy DVC to trade through RCI on a regular basis unless you typically throw money in the garbage...

 

[dismedvc]

Could not agree with DVC Grandpa more. We own at BWV since 1999. We had looked at OKW when it first opened, and decided we liked the concept but not the location. Then when we took the boat between Epcot and the Studios in the late 1990's and saw Boardwalk being built, we knew that was for us.

P.S. We did also buy BLT when it first became available, and feel that two nights there, so we can go to the MK, and then moving to/from Boardwalk for the rest of the trip is ideal for visiting all of the parks.

Looks like all of us "Cheeseheads" think alike.

P.S.S. DVC Grandpa, if you want to send me a PM maybe we could discuss this further over a beer. (Yes, I know that is a stereotypical Wisconsin comment, but proud of it, Cripes its -2 today)

 

[sleepydog25]

All good comments so far, so I just want to reiterate about buying DVC for frequent trading out to RCI--financially, it's not a smart move. The primary purpose someone should purchase DVC is to have a place to stay at Disney for the next 30-40 years. As for where you purchase, the most common advice given on these boards is buy where you want to stay; however, as others have mentioned, if you don't care where you stay, then bargains can be had. Good luck.

 

[disneynutz]

I also plan on using points to go to other timeshare locations throughout the country.

Then you would be better off buying into a timeshare system other than Disney.

Bill

 

[Sandisw]

We spent the extra to own at BLT, but that is because we really knew ahead of time that we would want to be there each and every trip--whether it was for the whole trip or for part of it.

We also knew that we would not have the patience to wait it out and hope that BLT was available at 7 months so for us, it made sense to spend more to ensure we got what we wanted.

If you don't own at BLT, then there is a good chance that you will find that LV rooms are the ones that will be available at 7 months. If you are hoping to get the SV room, since the points are cheaper in these rooms (another reason we wanted to own there), then it might make sense to buy there

However, as others have said, if you are okay with staying at VWL if BLT is not available for either part or all of your stay, then choose that based on price.

Good luck!

 

[DebbieB]

One consideration is that VWL expires in 2042, BLT expires in 2060 (or 2062?).

 

[crisi]

My sister has owned Marriott for three years and has taken two vacations - one staying at BCV and one staying at VAKL. She paid less for her Marriott points than she would have paid for DVC, has lower dues, and direct access to RCI. If you are hung up on a specific resort - this isn't a good option - she JUMPED on that BCV listing - the resort you want isn't always the one available when you want to go. But that is the nature of timeshares in general if you want to use them anywhere other than "where you bought."

 

[bookwormde]

You can buy good trading RCI timeshres for $1 so why pay 18,000

WL is available in the $60 and OKW in the $50 range resale so if you do not have a strong preference and will use the points for DVC where they have by far the best value then that is the way to go for $8001 to $9501 vs 18k for DVC and RCI trading

bookwormde