BLT or Saratoga??

[ssawka]

I think it also depends on how you travel to and around WDW. For us, we fly into MCO and never rent a car. We take DME to our resort and use Disney transportation the entire time we are there. With that being said, and the fact that MK is our favorite park, BLT made the most sense for us. I just wanted to minimize use of the busses!

 

[Lucky]

My husband and I just got back yesterday and we stayed at the Boardwalk Inn! We LOVED the location and the feel of the resort. We toured the one bedroom model on the Boardwalk and really liked it. The only problem is that we have 3 children and the only dvc one bedrooms that sleep 5 are the AKV and BLT. We figure we can sleep our 3 year old on the floor until he gets a little older but not forever. Anybody think Disney may add the fold out chair to the older resorts?

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

We didn't do our homework with the resale market prior to going for a DVC sales presentation during our vacation last week. We ended up buying the "minimum" 160 point membership at BLT with the discount incentive. Disney's purchase price was $120/point, with a developer credit of $8/point, for a net purchase price of $112/point. Closing costs will be about $350. With this membership, we received 160 points that have been banked but must be used between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. Our use year is June and our first maintenance fee is due in January 2011. Looking at the resale lists, it appears that we overpaid by about $7+/point for a contract with similar details. It also appears that we purchased more points than we really might need. The sales agent told us the minimum membership was 160 points... but from looking at the ROFR approvals for non-members, there appears to be no minimum number of points required for membership.

Would you feel you got a reasonable deal with what we paid and complete the sale? Are there any differences in membership use between purchasing from DVC versus purchasing a resale for BLT? Or, would you instead start shopping the resales and start over with the transaction?

 

[wdrl]

Another variable that should be considered when deciding between SSR and BLT is the relative point requirements for each resort. For example, lets say you plan on staying in a one bedroom villa during the first week in December 2011. At SSR, that 7-day stay will cost you 183 points. At BLT, that same accommodation will cost a minimum of 194 points. And if you really, really want an MK view at BLT, it will cost you 273 points.

My advice to a prospective buyer is to look at the 2011 point charts to get an idea of how many points are needed for your typical vacation trip. And then increase that number by a few so that you'll have a small cushion of points in case Disney modifies the point requirements in future years.

Good luck in making your decision!!

 

[culli]

We didn't do our homework with the resale market prior to going for a DVC sales presentation during our vacation last week. We ended up buying the "minimum" 160 point membership at BLT with the discount incentive. Disney's purchase price was $120/point, with a developer credit of $8/point, for a net purchase price of $112/point. Closing costs will be about $350. With this membership, we received 160 points that have been banked but must be used between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. Our use year is June and our first maintenance fee is due in January 2011. Looking at the resale lists, it appears that we overpaid by about $7+/point for a contract with similar details. It also appears that we purchased more points than we really might need. The sales agent told us the minimum membership was 160 points... but from looking at the ROFR approvals for non-members, there appears to be no minimum number of points required for membership.

Would you feel you got a reasonable deal with what we paid and complete the sale? Are there any differences in membership use between purchasing from DVC versus purchasing a resale for BLT? Or, would you instead start shopping the resales and start over with the transaction?

I wouldn't say you made a mistake buying BLT direct from DVC as the resale process is more involved and not a sure thing to pass ROFR. For $7 a pt I wouldn't sweat it, as you pay less in closing costs and have immediate use of your points. I think you have 10 days to recind if you really feel you should go resale. If that is the case call them ASAP and tell them you want to recind if it is in the timeframe. Your guide is right to buy through them there is a min purchase as a new owner, but if you buy resale there is no min.

If you do decide to go resale just do some research and make sure you know what you are getting into. I bought two contracts resale and had another 3 snagged in ROFR process. I also got my first contract and 3 add-ons thru DVC. It all depends on your needs, timing and willingness to go thru the resale process.

 

[lmshaggard]

Louisiana Disney Fan -

Thru DVC direct - 160 is a minimum. We bought BLT a year ago - 160 pts. We have since bought more points as you will see how quickly you use them BLT is still 50 years - you would also not have gotten your choice of use year, the extra points, or no maintenance til next year. And you have to hope that Disney lets it go thru first right of refusal at that price. If you purchase extra points - Disney will always match your use year which is really important. Plus you also have a sales rep to help you if you need anything.

 

[lmshaggard]

I think it is SO important to own where you want to stay. We usually go off peak as well except for the 1st part of Dec. I needed every bit of my 11 month window to get BLT the 15th-23rd of Dec this year. I love knowing that I have one of my favorite resorts as my 1st choice every time. I know a lot of people love Saratoga - we don't!! We have had several bad experiences - 3 in 1 year to be exact - so it is always our last choice. We sometimes book at 11 months and sometimes we decide to go away for a couple of days and book 3-4 weeks out. Saratoga has been available for every night for every trip I have booked since joining DVC. So, definitely buy where you like to stay!!!!

 

[RDP]

you will hear this time & time again - Buy where you whant to stay.

 

[ToddyLu]

We didn't do our homework with the resale market prior to going for a DVC sales presentation during our vacation last week. We ended up buying the "minimum" 160 point membership at BLT with the discount incentive. Disney's purchase price was $120/point, with a developer credit of $8/point, for a net purchase price of $112/point. Closing costs will be about $350. With this membership, we received 160 points that have been banked but must be used between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. Our use year is June and our first maintenance fee is due in January 2011. Looking at the resale lists, it appears that we overpaid by about $7+/point for a contract with similar details. It also appears that we purchased more points than we really might need. The sales agent told us the minimum membership was 160 points... but from looking at the ROFR approvals for non-members, there appears to be no minimum number of points required for membership.

Would you feel you got a reasonable deal with what we paid and complete the sale? Are there any differences in membership use between purchasing from DVC versus purchasing a resale for BLT? Or, would you instead start shopping the resales and start over with the transaction?

We didn't really know about resales either. We bought 210 points at AKV direct from Disney and financed it also last June. No one else in the community was really financing second mortgages. We bought our points for $93 per pt (incentives at the time), received 2008 points (Dec UY), and paid pro-rated MFs on those 'free' points. Would I have cancelled the contract if I had known about resale...no....we needed to finance (will pay it off in about 3 years) and got exactly what we wanted when we wanted it. Now would I add on a resale, probably, but it depends on what is available at the time. I have looked at the resale sites and there are not many BLT options out there. I think you did the best you could do in the current market.

 

[dbs1228]

We bought BLT direct, SSR resale and thought we did the best by doing it that way. Boy am I glad I did not buy SSR directly we almost did.

We actually looked at a resale add on BLT 100 points 99.00 per point when we were going to put an offer in we knew there would be a good chance ROFR would be excerised. We offered 102.00 (300.00 more) but then the webcast came out, once all the math was done we recinded our offer (the sellers had not even signed their initial contract so did not feel too bad). We would have saved a little under 500.00 total and would not have gotten 2009 points. I feel 100 extra points was well worth the 500.00 and the points were in the account immediately for use!

Still trying to figure out "where" we want to stay but I have a feeling our wants will change as our kids stop travelling with us.

 

[AirGoofy]

My husband and I just got back yesterday and we stayed at the Boardwalk Inn! We LOVED the location and the feel of the resort. We toured the one bedroom model on the Boardwalk and really liked it. The only problem is that we have 3 children and the only dvc one bedrooms that sleep 5 are the AKV and BLT. We figure we can sleep our 3 year old on the floor until he gets a little older but not forever. Anybody think Disney may add the fold out chair to the older resorts?

To answer this and your original post:
I doubt Disney is going to add a chair to the older resorts. Also, you can consider 2 studios as opposed to a 1 bedroom. The downside is that they cannot guarantee joining rooms. The upside is you get two bathrooms.

As for where to buy, I think the most important thing is where you want to stay. If you absolutely have your heart set on one resort and plan to stay at that resort all the time or go during the busy DVC season, then you should purchase that resort. If that is not a major concern, then your choice may be what is the better deal. You can usually get SSR or OKW at the 7 month mark.

We own at SSR and think it is a great resort. However, we plan to stay at all the DVC resorts - just because they are there. That is fun for us.

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

dear lucky, we are no experts & new @ the dvc game. however,
in reading others' responses there are some "patterns" that
are pretty consistent.

we 're blt owners. we have had our share of problems. [ that
we're still doing problem solving.] still, i think blt is worth the
monies & would chose it over ssr.

over & over, i read how those buying resell there, the next
thing they're asking is how to transfer @ the 7mos. on the planning
board, "what are my chances", is a good/typical example.

there's only one blt. it isn't going anywhere & its location can't
be beaten.

for us, this was major investment, therefore we treated "it" as such.
for the long way, blt will always be in demand. i don't know
nothing about ssr , except the pictures. [ it always look liked
a wonderful place just to relax. ] the thing that really concern us,
would be the transportation or lack of , being a headache.

based what i am reading, ssr would be a dream place for those
without kids. [ one of my favorite memory @ csr was to ride around
with the fella assigned to the golf cart, picking up guests. ]

we really thought the tree-houses something special until i read
the trip report from a family with small kids. the buses thing would
be trouble, lots of it.

i think having a pretty big family [ so do we ] , having blt connections
can make some really special family reunions. especially with all
the changes they're doing to the magic kingdom. [ when we decided,
we went the number of points we would need for 2 weeks in an
one bed-room.

i think if a person is deciding between the 2, one should go with
the one resort you desire the most for the prime time.

second & third reasons for us, we think blt will have greater trade
value for disneyland or hawuii.


blt is my wife's gift.[ in our family traditions, after 25 years together,
we always gave an one carat ring. because she has lots of diamonds,
she wanted something else, this. ]


one thingy, like ages ago, i was a "cripple`kid". because others
cared for me, it has always been a part of my life to share.
we have this one family that we are helping. once we get the
"bugs" out, we hope to give these 5 kids a disney vacation
that they'll never forget. [ we want them to have the best blt
room that our points can give them. ] --i can share this here
because i know they have no computer, even tv's. ( we working
on getting one with all old disney videos, & vcr. ) the oldest is
a girl, 10 years old. she is mature as 30 y/o, doing as much, in
caring for her siblings. * what gave me the idea, what took place
3-years ago....it took us all day to find the barn where they
using as a house. [ we almost gave up ]. but when we finally
did find them, ( england hollow-sounds like a princess' place),
it was the kids-5, that gave us the best christmas of all. i
remember thinking, these kids are more happier then those
you "see" on main street before wishes. they crawled all
over us. their littlest , had to have my daughter 's
princess sleeping bag. dragging it thru on the muddy floor, i
couldn't think a better use for it.

this family is our dream for blt.

finally, these were our "reasons". again i think this is such a big
investment, you need to seek what is right for your family &
no one else. good luck, in whatever you decide.

ps. lucky...are you from las vegas?

 

[Sandisw]

We didn't do our homework with the resale market prior to going for a DVC sales presentation during our vacation last week. We ended up buying the "minimum" 160 point membership at BLT with the discount incentive. Disney's purchase price was $120/point, with a developer credit of $8/point, for a net purchase price of $112/point. Closing costs will be about $350. With this membership, we received 160 points that have been banked but must be used between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. Our use year is June and our first maintenance fee is due in January 2011. Looking at the resale lists, it appears that we overpaid by about $7+/point for a contract with similar details. It also appears that we purchased more points than we really might need. The sales agent told us the minimum membership was 160 points... but from looking at the ROFR approvals for non-members, there appears to be no minimum number of points required for membership.

Would you feel you got a reasonable deal with what we paid and complete the sale? Are there any differences in membership use between purchasing from DVC versus purchasing a resale for BLT? Or, would you instead start shopping the resales and start over with the transaction?

If you are uncomfortable, at all, with the price you paid, you can rescind your contract, and try for a resale contract. It will push your timeline as an owner back a few months, but if you really didn't want the 160, you can buy in via resale with no minimum. But, given the resale price, you are talking less than $1000 so its not huge (unless 160 was more than you really wanted).

The only other piece is that I would double check with your guide about 2010 MF's. I think you are going to owe a prorated amount. Typically, you pay from the time you purchase, since these are based on calendar year, not UY. I have not heard of anyone buying in direct through Disney and getting no MF's for the current year, but it would be great for you if this is truly the case.

Even last year, when BLT was opening, we all paid 2009 MF's for a few months, once the resort was open.

Good luck!!!

 

[Lucky]

Wow! Thanks everyone for all the great input! It is such a BIG decision and it really helps reading everyone's opinions! One thing I'm sure of: Buy where we want to stay!!! The hard thing to know is where we want to stay since we haven't stayed at any! However, we just got back from Boardwalk Inn and LOVED it! Now I'm thinking maybe we should look into a resale there or BCV. The only downside is the earlier expiration, higher MFs and the fact that the one bedroom only sleeps 4. Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!!

 

[BlakeNJ]

Thanks for the input! We also go at off-peak times and just wondered if you could really get what you wanted 7 months out? We are planning a trip the first week of December this year and just wondered if we may be able to get BLT (1 bedroom) at the 7 month date?

Thanks for all the info! Didn't realize that the first week of Dec. was so popular among DVC owners. Maybe Saratoga would be a better way to go! What resorts are usually available at the 7 month out date? I've heard OKW, AKV and Saratoga are usually pretty easy to book (1 bedroom).

You are right on your list of resorts available at 7 months. I don't know your financial situation but $7000 is a lot of money. I would consider "buy where you want to stay" but I'd also consider what is the smartest financial decision for my family. Will that $7000 strap you? Is it money have will be financed?

FWIW, I have never had trouble getting into a resort at the 7 month mark. We travel both Thanksgiving week and early March. I was able to get BLT at the 7 month mark for early Thanksgiving week.

Also, like a PP said, you will need lots more points for a lake view or MK view at BLT than you will need at SSR. That is certainly something to take into consideration. You'd have to buy more points at BLT than SSR to meet your needs. Our view in November at BLT was value and for the number of points I used, I couldn't believe I was looking at a parking lot (knew this before hand). Even the MK views are above the parking lots. I am just mentioning this since you said you have never stayed at a DVC resort. Maybe look at the BLT thread with room locations/views to see if that is something that works for you.

Good luck!!