Best Economical Purchase for UK Couple plus child - first time poster!

[Jaguar Skills]

Hi all,

This is my first post on this forum so please go easy. We went to Disney this year for the first time as a family. Myself, fiancee (who I proposed to at Cinderella's fountain) and our son, who was (and still is 2). We are from the UK so realistically I think we would be doing disney every other year, or trying to do it twice in one year to take advantage of an annual pass then leave it for 2/3 years. Are there any other UK DVC members that can help as we'd love to hear opinions!

We also went and did the DVC intro meeting as we were interested in finding more about it. We have a few questions, and given it is such a minefield thought we would open them up to the forum.

- Which currently is the best value resort? Looking at some articles it seems like Saratoga Springs is. We had originally thought that AKL would have been the sort of resort we'd like but want to try and make this as cost effective as possible?

-Potentially and probably, we will have another child in the near future, so should we look to get more points to take that into consideration? I don't want to overprice given we will be cash buyers.

-we have seen that some of the contracts are shorter than others, what would be the minimum you would go for?

-should we also buy some direct to get the discounts etc? What exactly is the discount on annual passes? Do the UK packages outweigh the benefit of getting anything with disney direct?

- There is obviously a slight concern about travel cost i.e. flights per year albeit we do collect airmiles through our credit card.

-if we look to buy resale and there are points available, how do we find out if these can carry to next year?

-with dining options, this is also an added cost as when we went this year we took advantage of the free disney dining.

 

[sethschroeder]

So check on the AP vs your UK pass pricing. I hear you get a killer deal on 14 day passes.

• "Best Value" is typically going to be SSR. You need to account for where you would be okay staying though and why many choose OKW or AKV instead.
• If you are buying with 2 kids (we have 2 kids) you will likely want a 1Br and should account for that. It is also nice to have the extra space and your own room away from the child or when they take naps.
• With Direct for you the only benefit is really going to be the AP discount which you need to check the UK ticket package
• With flights there is nothing you can do. This might change your mind on doing longer trips every other year.
• With resale there is a few sites but they will list out exactly when points are good for. They will list if there is any points from a previous use year. (Use year is important so please read up on it)
• Dining is an extra expense and you can get some various discounts with DVC, AP, or TIW (tables in wonderland). The dining packages though will be an extra expense (which might mean UK packages with cash are better). In DVC if you are there for 14 days though you could easily get groceries and make 1 meal a day saving a bunch of money.

Use Year:
It goes from the Month Year to the following Year and 1 Month prior.
September 2019 - Starts September 1, 2019 and goes until August 30, 2020
Points can be used anytime during that year
Points can be banked 1 time to the following Use Year then must be used that next year (banking occurs 4 months prior to the end of the Use Year)
Points can be borrowed from the next year (2019 Use Year can borrow points from Use Year 2020)
If you bank or borrow they are final transactions and can not be reversed

There are whole threads on Use Year that you should check out but feel free to ask questions all you want.

 

[CarolMN]

You might also want to post your question on the

UK DVC Discussion

You find several UK DVC Members there.

 

[Becky19]

Hi, I'm also from the UK and not a DVC member just yet although I've been doing research and am hoping to buy on my next trip in October. So I can't answer some of your questions but I'll give you my opinion

- Best value is probably going to be SSR, OKW & AKV, so if you think you'd be happier staying at AKV over the others I would buy there instead of just going for the cheapest.

- With contract lengths it's personal opinion, I love BC but because the contracts expire in 2042 I just wouldn't consider buying there and wouldn't feel like I was getting my moneys worth when I could get an OKW contract for cheaper and with an extra 15 years.

- Obviously resale is much cheaper than buying direct so it depends how important the benefits are for you. We have decided to buy 100 points direct and then 50 resale as we do want the gold AP and to be able to stay at future resorts which you can't with resale. Next year we're going 3 times in 12 months, and will be going twice a year most years so for us it will be worth it. Currently 2021 14 day ultimate tickets are £459 and the gold pass is $719 (£575 at todays exchange rate) so if you will be going twice in a year it is worth it.

- I get what you mean about the travel costs, definitely something else that needs to be considered. I'm not sure where abouts in the UK you are, but we fly from Manchester which is generally more expensive than London. However we don't have any kids so aren't restricted to school holidays, are happy to fly indirect & don't really have a preference for what time of year to visit. So we tend to just keep an eye out for good prices e.g. last week we booked direct flights in Feb for £281pp.

- I personally wouldn't pay for the dining plan as I don't think it's worth it. We plan on eating breakfast in the room, making lunch to take with us and just paying OOP when we go out for dinner.

 

[Jaguar Skills]

Thanks so much for your response. Have added my comments in bold.

So check on the AP vs your UK pass pricing. I hear you get a killer deal on 14 day passes.

It looks like it works out about $1500 for us to purchase 3 passes for 14 days.

• "Best Value" is typically going to be SSR. You need to account for where you would be okay staying though and why many choose OKW or AKV instead.

We did the DVC sit down at SSR, but just are not sure how suitable for kids. That's why we were trying to google the best places which looked like AKL is better.

• If you are buying with 2 kids (we have 2 kids) you will likely want a 1Br and should account for that. It is also nice to have the extra space and your own room away from the child or when they take naps.

Yes agreed. We were looking at purchasing around 200 points for this reason for the future.

• With Direct for you the only benefit is really going to be the AP discount which you need to check the UK ticket package

See above.

• With flights there is nothing you can do. This might change your mind on doing longer trips every other year.

That is true but its just the added cost is something to factor in.

• With resale there is a few sites but they will list out exactly when points are good for. They will list if there is any points from a previous use year. (Use year is important so please read up on it)

I don't really understand the use year. Do you mean when it ends? Like AKL is 2057 I think but some are 2042 which is a much shorter contract length.

• Dining is an extra expense and you can get some various discounts with DVC, AP, or TIW (tables in wonderland). The dining packages though will be an extra expense (which might mean UK packages with cash are better). In DVC if you are there for 14 days though you could easily get groceries and make 1 meal a day saving a bunch of money.

Yeah we would do that I think. Have breakfast and make lunch indoors and eat out each evening.

Use Year:
It goes from the Month Year to the following Year and 1 Month prior.
September 2019 - Starts September 1, 2019 and goes until August 30, 2020
Points can be used anytime during that year
Points can be banked 1 time to the following Use Year then must be used that next year (banking occurs 4 months prior to the end of the Use Year)
Points can be borrowed from the next year (2019 Use Year can borrow points from Use Year 2020)
If you bank or borrow they are final transactions and can not be reversed

There are whole threads on Use Year that you should check out but feel free to ask questions all you want.

 

[Jaguar Skills]

Thanks Becky. Wow you guys go a lot! Thanks so much for your advice. We are just trying to take it all in.


Hi, I'm also from the UK and not a DVC member just yet although I've been doing research and am hoping to buy on my next trip in October. So I can't answer some of your questions but I'll give you my opinion

- Best value is probably going to be SSR, OKW & AKV, so if you think you'd be happier staying at AKV over the others I would buy there instead of just going for the cheapest.

Will look in more detail at AKL vs SSR

- With contract lengths it's personal opinion, I love BC but because the contracts expire in 2042 I just wouldn't consider buying there and wouldn't feel like I was getting my moneys worth when I could get an OKW contract for cheaper and with an extra 15 years.

I think we would want a longer one.

- Obviously resale is much cheaper than buying direct so it depends how important the benefits are for you. We have decided to buy 100 points direct and then 50 resale as we do want the gold AP and to be able to stay at future resorts which you can't with resale. Next year we're going 3 times in 12 months, and will be going twice a year most years so for us it will be worth it. Currently 2021 14 day ultimate tickets are £459 and the gold pass is $719 (£575 at todays exchange rate) so if you will be going twice in a year it is worth it.

I dont think we will ever be able to get there that many times a year! How the hell do you manage that!

- I get what you mean about the travel costs, definitely something else that needs to be considered. I'm not sure where abouts in the UK you are, but we fly from Manchester which is generally more expensive than London. However we don't have any kids so aren't restricted to school holidays, are happy to fly indirect & don't really have a preference for what time of year to visit. So we tend to just keep an eye out for good prices e.g. last week we booked direct flights in Feb for £281pp.

Yes London for us.

- I personally wouldn't pay for the dining plan as I don't think it's worth it. We plan on eating breakfast in the room, making lunch to take with us and just paying OOP when we go out for dinner.

Agree and we would be the same.

Hi, I'm also from the UK and not a DVC member just yet although I've been doing research and am hoping to buy on my next trip in October. So I can't answer some of your questions but I'll give you my opinion

- Best value is probably going to be SSR, OKW & AKV, so if you think you'd be happier staying at AKV over the others I would buy there instead of just going for the cheapest.

- With contract lengths it's personal opinion, I love BC but because the contracts expire in 2042 I just wouldn't consider buying there and wouldn't feel like I was getting my moneys worth when I could get an OKW contract for cheaper and with an extra 15 years.

- Obviously resale is much cheaper than buying direct so it depends how important the benefits are for you. We have decided to buy 100 points direct and then 50 resale as we do want the gold AP and to be able to stay at future resorts which you can't with resale. Next year we're going 3 times in 12 months, and will be going twice a year most years so for us it will be worth it. Currently 2021 14 day ultimate tickets are £459 and the gold pass is $719 (£575 at todays exchange rate) so if you will be going twice in a year it is worth it.

- I get what you mean about the travel costs, definitely something else that needs to be considered. I'm not sure where abouts in the UK you are, but we fly from Manchester which is generally more expensive than London. However we don't have any kids so aren't restricted to school holidays, are happy to fly indirect & don't really have a preference for what time of year to visit. So we tend to just keep an eye out for good prices e.g. last week we booked direct flights in Feb for £281pp.

- I personally wouldn't pay for the dining plan as I don't think it's worth it. We plan on eating breakfast in the room, making lunch to take with us and just paying OOP when we go out for dinner.

 

[carli_h]

I’m also from the U.K.

As others have said SSR is the most economical resort in terms of resale buy in and dues. AK dues are higher and buy in is slightly more. The other resorts are much higher or have a 2042 contract end date.

Both SSR and AK Kidani are fairly available at 7 months. SSR is being refurbished and the new rooms are very nice.

I would say if you are going once a year then the 14 days passes are better value especially as the gold passes are not valid for golf or the water parks. We bought direct last year and not used any benefits yet. We bought for the resort and would buy resales if we were to add on.

The only resorts to consider buying direct would be Riviera (as you can only stay at that resort if you buy resale) and OKW for the extended contract as they are so few of them.

There is only a cost saving if you tend to stay in deluxe resorts and visit at least every other year. We bought as we love Disney and staying onsite but wanted the option of having a separate room. We found 14 days with 4 of us in the same room really tough.

Free dining is another element that negates the value of DVC. We have added on dining at our cost before. Although it’s convenient we ended up having to buy lots of snacks to use the left over credit. We found that we ended up saving what we spent anyway.

 

[Becky19]

Thanks Becky. Wow you guys go a lot! Thanks so much for your advice. We are just trying to take it all in.


Hi, I'm also from the UK and not a DVC member just yet although I've been doing research and am hoping to buy on my next trip in October. So I can't answer some of your questions but I'll give you my opinion

- Best value is probably going to be SSR, OKW & AKV, so if you think you'd be happier staying at AKV over the others I would buy there instead of just going for the cheapest.

Will look in more detail at AKL vs SSR

- With contract lengths it's personal opinion, I love BC but because the contracts expire in 2042 I just wouldn't consider buying there and wouldn't feel like I was getting my moneys worth when I could get an OKW contract for cheaper and with an extra 15 years.

I think we would want a longer one.

- Obviously resale is much cheaper than buying direct so it depends how important the benefits are for you. We have decided to buy 100 points direct and then 50 resale as we do want the gold AP and to be able to stay at future resorts which you can't with resale. Next year we're going 3 times in 12 months, and will be going twice a year most years so for us it will be worth it. Currently 2021 14 day ultimate tickets are £459 and the gold pass is $719 (£575 at todays exchange rate) so if you will be going twice in a year it is worth it.

I dont think we will ever be able to get there that many times a year! How the hell do you manage that!

- I get what you mean about the travel costs, definitely something else that needs to be considered. I'm not sure where abouts in the UK you are, but we fly from Manchester which is generally more expensive than London. However we don't have any kids so aren't restricted to school holidays, are happy to fly indirect & don't really have a preference for what time of year to visit. So we tend to just keep an eye out for good prices e.g. last week we booked direct flights in Feb for £281pp.

Yes London for us.

- I personally wouldn't pay for the dining plan as I don't think it's worth it. We plan on eating breakfast in the room, making lunch to take with us and just paying OOP when we go out for dinner.

Agree and we would be the same.

It does sound like a lot doesn't it we just both love Disney and put most of our spare money towards holidays. We're only in our mid twenties and don't have kids yet, I'm sure in 5 years we won't be going multiple times a year!

I know SSR doesn't get much love but if you like Disney Springs it's so convenient being able to walk there and the refurbished rooms are lovely. We were torn between there and OKW. But we've decided on 100 points OKW and 50 AKV.

From what you've said it would make more sense to buy a resale contract as the only real benefit of direct is the AP which you wouldn't need. Also regarding use year, this is the month you get your points for the year. People generally advise to choose your use year based on when you travel. So we have decided we would like a February use year as we will be primarily travelling between February-September. If we liked to travel in December or January this wouldn't be a good choice as it's at the end of our use year.

 

[Jaguar Skills]

It does sound like a lot doesn't it we just both love Disney and put most of our spare money towards holidays. We're only in our mid twenties and don't have kids yet, I'm sure in 5 years we won't be going multiple times a year!

I know SSR doesn't get much love but if you like Disney Springs it's so convenient being able to walk there and the refurbished rooms are lovely. We were torn between there and OKW. But we've decided on 100 points OKW and 50 AKV.

From what you've said it would make more sense to buy a resale contract as the only real benefit of direct is the AP which you wouldn't need. Also regarding use year, this is the month you get your points for the year. People generally advise to choose your use year based on when you travel. So we have decided we would like a February use year as we will be primarily travelling between February-September. If we liked to travel in December or January this wouldn't be a good choice as it's at the end of our use year.

thanks all sensible points. We are ahead of the curve with you. 34 & 36 and a 2 year old in tow.

the only thing I couldn’t really understand was the point about the use year.
We would also probably look to travel feb-sept although we did November this time around.
If the points are valid for a year, why does it matter when you get them?

sorry if I’m being dumb.

 

[starry_solo]

It is not worth it to purchase direct for the benefits. You can get a gold DVC annual passport if you purchase direct, but that's a benefit that can be taken away. Plus, since you only come once every 3 years (or so), it would not be economical to purchase at such a high price for direct (prices are $180+/point and up) when you wouldn't use the benefits.

The UK 14-day ticket is the best deal for you, ticket wise.

You should look at the other portions of the DISBoards, where they are talking about this pandemic and what it means for points. Many people have points banked from 2018 use year that expire and cannot be banked again. So, if you're going to look to bank, use current use year, and then borrow from next use year, make sure you try to go in the earlier part of the current use year, rather than latter portion. And don't book in the last 4 months of the use year.

You need to look at the use year too for vacation planning. Are you able to vacation the same time, every 2-3 years? There are a few people who can explain use year very well. @Sandisw and @cmrdgrs

 

[TandemShoehorns]

thanks all sensible points. We are ahead of the curve with you. 34 & 36 and a 2 year old in tow.

the only thing I couldn’t really understand was the point about the use year.
We would also probably look to travel feb-sept although we did November this time around.
If the points are valid for a year, why does it matter when you get them?

sorry if I’m being dumb.

I believe use year is most favorable when it occurs near the beginning of your usual vacation times. If you travel in Feb. then a Dec., Jan., or Feb. use year would be favorable. Its greatest significance occurs when you have to cancel a trip. More time remaining in the use year gives more opportunity to use (or maybe bank) the points from the canceled trip.

 

[starfrenzy]

AKL also has a later expiration than SSR & OKW.

 

[Wakey]

Uk owner of 400 points, all bought at SSR which is by far the most economical resort. I stay in 1 beds so generally can stay where I want although I did have a Copper Creek studio booked for summer for example (low DVC season).

For an AP to be worth it you need at least 2 trips or 3 if going in blackout dates and need a platinum, I had 3 lined up this year and that tipped me to buying an AP (Xmas trip). Resale is way to go for most UK owners.

 

[Jaguar Skills]

Uk owner of 400 points, all bought at SSR which is by far the most economical resort. I stay in 1 beds so generally can stay where I want although I did have a Copper Creek studio booked for summer for example (low DVC season).

For an AP to be worth it you need at least 2 trips or 3 if going in blackout dates and need a platinum, I had 3 lined up this year and that tipped me to buying an AP (Xmas trip). Resale is way to go for most UK owners.

Thanks very much. The only thing we were worried about at Saratoga Springs is the contract length is less than AKL and also we weren't sure how child friendly the resort is. Seen some not ideal reviews which leans us more towards AKL? Any thoughts welcome....

 

[Wakey]

Thanks very much. The only thing we were worried about at Saratoga Springs is the contract length is less than AKL and also we weren't sure how child friendly the resort is. Seen some not ideal reviews which leans us more towards AKL? Any thoughts welcome....

AKL has higher dues, the dues add up to a lot more than buy in price over length of contract. Remember the compound nature of dues. It cannot be an exact science but go on an online compound interest calculator, put in what the dues will be for AKL on whatever sized contract you are considering buying and put in 30 years with 5% increase (normally less but we have been hit with near 10% increases lately). Do the same for Saratoga- large difference in annual dues in 20, 30 years due to the compounding nature of the increases. Not an exact science but SSR should always be the cheapest resort to run over the long term due to no unusual features and lots of members to share it between. If I didn’t buy SSR I’d buy BLT.

AKL is a nice resort, but not for us. There is absolutely nowhere to walk or run. We like to walk and run outside so for us it is very cut off. The resort itself is great though but also a bit dark (find it depressing on overcast days). But that’s a personal choice, good to test resorts if possible.

Consider the accommodation type. With a family with 2 kids, we nearly always stay in 1 beds. Buying at the cheaper SSR allowed me to accumulate more points for the 1 beds. The great thing about 1 beds is you can take your pick of resorts most of the year- I’ve not had a problem booking Beach Club last Xmas, BLT at NY (maybe got lucky there), Boardwalk is usually easy etc. Much better 7 month availability than studios and we bought in for the large spacious accommodation with washer, dryer and kitchen. I am expecting all availability to be tight though for the next 2 years due to corona and everyone banking.

With 1 child currently you may find studios are Ok but if you have another it gets tighter as they get older. Then you may want to add on- SSR will be cheaper to do so (for an annual visitor wanting to move up to 1 beds it would be better to have all points at the same resort preferably with same use year).

Contract length at SSR is still very good, and works out cheaper per year than AKL even taking that into account (dues again).

SSR has a few faults- the rooms were old but the refurbed ones are some of the best on property. Most people who don’t like it don’t like the spacious grounds- that’s exactly what we do like, and the proximity to Disney Springs, walking path to OKW etc.

 

[Jaguar Skills]

AKL has higher dues, the dues add up to a lot more than buy in price over length of contract. Remember the compound nature of dues. It cannot be an exact science but go on an online compound interest calculator, put in what the dues will be for AKL on whatever sized contract you are considering buying and put in 30 years with 5% increase (normally less but we have been hit with near 10% increases lately). Do the same for Saratoga- large difference in annual dues in 20, 30 years due to the compounding nature of the increases. Not an exact science but SSR should always be the cheapest resort to run over the long term due to no unusual features and lots of members to share it between. If I didn’t buy SSR I’d buy BLT.

AKL is a nice resort, but not for us. There is absolutely nowhere to walk or run. We like to walk and run outside so for us it is very cut off. The resort itself is great though but also a bit dark (find it depressing on overcast days). But that’s a personal choice, good to test resorts if possible.

Consider the accommodation type. With a family with 2 kids, we nearly always stay in 1 beds. Buying at the cheaper SSR allowed me to accumulate more points for the 1 beds. The great thing about 1 beds is you can take your pick of resorts most of the year- I’ve not had a problem booking Beach Club last Xmas, BLT at NY (maybe got lucky there), Boardwalk is usually easy etc. Much better 7 month availability than studios and we bought in for the large spacious accommodation with washer, dryer and kitchen. I am expecting all availability to be tight though for the next 2 years due to corona and everyone banking.

With 1 child currently you may find studios are Ok but if you have another it gets tighter as they get older. Then you may want to add on- SSR will be cheaper to do so (for an annual visitor wanting to move up to 1 beds it would be better to have all points at the same resort preferably with same use year).

Contract length at SSR is still very good, and works out cheaper per year than AKL even taking that into account (dues again).

SSR has a few faults- the rooms were old but the refurbed ones are some of the best on property. Most people who don’t like it don’t like the spacious grounds- that’s exactly what we do like, and the proximity to Disney Springs, walking path to OKW etc.

great post thanks. We also like walking about so maybe SSR is for us!