Benefits of multiple home resorts?

[Iggipolka]

My wife and I just bought 400 pts at AKV yesterday and we're already thinking about buying at another resort while the fantastic promos are going on.
What's the benefits of having ownership at a second (or third!) resort?
Can points be used between resorts..ie, can we borrow points from our 400 at AKV to extend our 200 points at SSR?

Thanks!

 

[Dean]

Home resort priority, possibly cheaper dues in some cases, resale value in some cases as well.

 

[AKV707]

Having a second resort gives you the ability to use the points you own at that resort to book at the 11 month window. Let's say you have 400 AKV and 200 SSR. You can book 11 months out at either resort. You can only use your SSR points for SSR and your AKV points for AKV from 11 to 7 months prior to your checkout date. At 7 months you can combine them to be used at any resort.

Hope that helps!

 

[Iggipolka]

Thank you! That does help!

 

[DVC Mike]

While some members just add on additional points at their home resort, others add on points at other resorts.

Typically, the reason is that the owner wants the 11-month booking advantage of the Home Resort Priority Period in order to make it easier to get the resort they want, at the time they want, with the accommodations they want. This reduces any possible frustration at the 7-mo window, or having to “settle” for another reservation while missing out on the one you really had your heart set on.

This is especially important with certain “hard to get” reservations, such as:

• VWL at Christmas
• BCV during F&W Festival
• BWV standard view room
• AKV Concierge/Value room
• OKW GV
• VB Cottage or during Spring Break
• HHI during Summer

I believe the 11 month booking window has become very important in making it easier to secure these types of reservations, particularly because of the rapid increase in the size of DVC membership.

I want a better chance of getting VWL at Christmas, and BCV and/or BWV during the F&W festival. Thus, I purchased points at those resorts. This won't guarantee me a reservation, but it does guarantee that when I do try to book at the 11-month window, I am only competing with other owners and not every single DVC member to get a prime reservation.

Of course, people who don’t own at a resort are able to secure these “hard-to-book” reservations from time to time, so there is no requirement to own multiple resorts. In fact, a lot of DVC owners own just one resort and seem to get along just fine, thank you.

Keep in mind that if you have more than one home resort, all vacation points being used to make a reservation during the Home Resort Priority Period must be associated with that home resort. That is, you cannot combine points from multiple resorts to book one resort during the Home Resort Priority Period. You may combine all the points you have at all your home resorts and book any DVC resort only at the 7-month window.

Some folks purchase small add-ons at other resorts and then, by banking and/or borrowing, book a vacation there at the 11-month window every 2 or 3 years.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

We own at three different resorts for most of the reasons mentioned above. We purchased OKW when it was the only DVC resort, VWL for the Christmas Holiday booking window at 11 months and AKV because we love the resort and wanted the 11 month window for specific room categories.

Good Luck with your decision!