buy or vacation in a villa first

[tom401]

We are not members. We are planning a vacation to WDW in Aug - planned ot stay in BCV. We travel down every 12 to 18 months. We are strongly considering DVC membership (as my daughter says with the biggest eyes - we have to go to disney, it is a tradition). We usually stay Deluxe, but thought we would try a villa before committing to DVC. The $4k we would spend on the 2BR suite, is basically 20% of the 200 points we would buy.

So - would one suggest trying the accomodations before committing?

 

[Deb & Bill]

We bought on our first trip to WDW. We had not stayed in a DVC resort, but we knew that we would love the accomodations as well as frequent trips to WDW. If you plan to go to WDW in the same manner as you go now, and you stay in deluxe accomodations, then use the money for the resort towards your down payment. Why waste that money?

 

[vandy]

It sounds like you may be a good fit for DVC but it depends on your tastes. Some people have the ability to visualize things rather well and can set their minds at ease by looking at floor plans and pictures and others can't. Based on your experiences with the Deluxes and if you are able to get a good sense on what the resort and rooms are like, then I definately agree with the suggestion to put your money towards your purchase. If not, then maybe you should look into renting points and trying one out first.

 

[PSC]

Ok - I admit it, we bought site unseen!

Its a bit hard to visualize the property and rooms from the pictures on the web site and from pictures and maps here on the DIS. I'm happy to report that my first trip home to BWV was even better than DW and I had imagined! I did have some friends who are DVC members who told me that the DVC resorts are all very nice and not to worry, but we worried anyway. One thing that my wife and I laughed about was the belief that the hallways at BWV are "very long". As nearly as I can tell, these rumors are planted by BWV owners trying to keep others away and increase the chances of getting a BW view when we vacation.

Now that I've toured some of the vacation villas, I can recommend buying site unseen.

 

[rogerram]

Tom, you sound like an ideal family for DVC. You may be right, that the $4k you use for this trip could be used for a DVC membership downpayment. The other way, would be money that you will never get back, if you use it to use cash for a 2 bedroom villa reservation. It seems like you have enough time to decide if you want DVC, before committing to a cash reservation, but I would look into this sooner rather than later.
goodluck,
Roger

 

[Boston5602]

We are not members. We are planning a vacation to WDW in Aug - planned ot stay in BCV. We travel down every 12 to 18 months. We are strongly considering DVC membership (as my daughter says with the biggest eyes - we have to go to disney, it is a tradition). We usually stay Deluxe, but thought we would try a villa before committing to DVC. The $4k we would spend on the 2BR suite, is basically 20% of the 200 points we would buy.

So - would one suggest trying the accomodations before committing?

If you absolutely must have BCV this summer in a 2 bedroom , you may not be able to book that for this years vacation. I have not checked MS so have no idea , but what you want may just not be available. BUT I also say don't waste $4,000.00 on a trip when it is 20% of the cost.

Ok - I admit it, we bought site unseen!

Its a bit hard to visualize the property and rooms from the pictures on the web site and from pictures and maps here on the DIS. I'm happy to report that my first trip home to BWV was even better than DW and I had imagined! I did have some friends who are DVC members who told me that the DVC resorts are all very nice and not to worry, but we worried anyway. One thing that my wife and I laughed about was the belief that the hallways at BWV are "very long". As nearly as I can tell, these rumors are planted by BWV owners trying to keep others away and increase the chances of getting a BW view when we vacation.

Now that I've toured some of the vacation villas, I can recommend buying site unseen.

I heard at the last BWV owners meeting we were going to fine anyone divulging our secret !!!!! <G>

In all seriousness the hallways are extremely long and you would be too tired at the end of a long day to make it to your room <G>!!!

 

[Granny]

So - would one suggest trying the accomodations before committing?

We bought sight unseen as well (at VWL) but were already sold on the WL theming so buying at VWL wasn't much of a leap of faith.

While I agree that it would be painful to watch that money go without being applied to a DVC membership, you need to also keep in mind that staying at DVC is a bit different than the resort.

For instance, there is no daily cleaning. For most of us, we consider that a blessing...for others, it was a major hurdle to overcome (yes, you can pay for daily maid service but that seems like a bit much after buying into Disney's version of a timeshare).

Also, DVC will probably never qualify for a free dining plan. Depending on your family size, that could be significant in any given year. Currently, DVC members can pay for the Dining Plan, but no free meals!

Personally, I'd do the research and get a comfort level with DVC. If you think it is a good fit for you, I'd be inclined to put that money towards a DVC purchase.

 

[jdvm]

We bought after spending one night in a one bedroom suite at Old Key West in 1992. While many people buy sight unseen, I think it's extremely wise to actually stay in one of the units. To us the whole decision turned on whether we liked the room....and the best way to make that call was to stay there.
John

 

[edk35]

I would use that vacation money for my down payment. Like the other poster said.....you might have problems getting a 2 bedroom for this August (16th-23rd) but I managed to get 8 nights split between SSR and BWV.........made my ressie a couple of weeks ago. Good Luck.. Before long we will all be saying
HOME

 

[dhluvsDisney]

I would use the money as well for a downpayment if you believe you will make good use of it. Is there anyway for you to take a quick weekend trip down and see if it would work for you, and then make your decision accordingly?

 

[BroganMc]

If it were me, I'd save my money and stay in cheaper accommodations then tour the resorts while I was down there.

Beyond OKW, the rooms are very similar just with different decor. What is different are the relative resort amenities and locations.

BCV gives you StormAlong Bay, the beach theme and walkway access to Epcot (and ferry to MGM). BWV gives you Boardwalk views, that Atlantic city activities, and a walkway and ferry to Epcot and MGM. OKW gives you larger rooms, cheaper points, a Southern woodsy locale, and ferry to DTD. SSR gives you a Upper NY retreat & spa, view of DTD and the closest walking distance to DTD. VWL gives you a mountain retreat and ferry to MK. AKV will give folks African savannah retreats and some of the largest and smallest DVC rooms with much point variety.

 

[keishashadow]

We cancelled a week @ the Poly & bought our 1st resale cash in hand (spent that trip @ the *** ; eaglerly looking forward to our 1st trip home in the fall).

We had never stayed @ either the WL or BW; but are very happy with our decision - all about the theme/location imo.

 

[magicmommy]

We did tour before we purchased but had not stayed at a DVC resort.

 

[tom401]

Also, DVC will probably never qualify for a free dining plan. Depending on your family size, that could be significant in any given year. Currently, DVC members can pay for the Dining Plan, but no free meals!

What does that mean - "never qualify for a free dining plan"?

Is this the 'packages that one buys for three free meals or one table meal, one snack and one counter service?

 

[Granny]

What does that mean - "never qualify for a free dining plan"?

Is this the 'packages that one buys for three free meals or one table meal, one snack and one counter service?

It's a contradiction in terms to say that one "buys free meals". Right now, Disney occassionally offers free dining during select times of the year for people paying full rack rates for Disney resorts. Those guests don't pay anything for dining because they've already paid for it by staying at full rack rates.

DVC owners have been allowed to purchase the meal plan, but have never gotten it free.

 

[LilGMom]

We also bought 'sight unseen' and I know that we should have bought years ago. We go a few times a year, have two young children (the oldest is five), both dh and I are Disney nuts and we prefer the Deluxe resorts. It is getting to even with the Florida resident rate the Deluxe per night rate is getting a bit steep and I know that the price will just continue to creep up. Only four short years ago we could go in Feb. and stay at WL for right at $120/night (inc. tax) and now we can't touch that rate. When we start needing two rooms I can only shudder at the thought of how much our lodging bill would be.

Go through the numbers, see how many points you'd need (remember you can borrow and bank) to stay where you want for the time you want. Take todays room rates and see how much that would be. To figure how much those same rooms would be in five years multiply today's rates by 30%, or so, to see how much that would run ya.

Good luck making your decision. My dh and I 'slept' on the idea for about six months before telling our guide to go ahead and send us the paperwork and I am really thrilled that we did.

 

[dsneygirl]

We had never stayed in a villa but we had stayed at BC, BWI and WL so we had a good feel for those resorts. Moving to a villa rather than a traditional room hasn't been much of an adjustment at all.

 

[mgarri]

We love our timeshare at BCV and also own at SSR (haven't stayed there yet so I can't offer my opinion). My thought is if you are already commited to going to Disney about once a year then the vacation club makes sense for you. As far as where to buy that is a decision you need to make. I would prefer to use the $4000 towards a purchase and then stay on my points. We did a tour when we were at Disney for a conference and decided to buy in '02 but we did not buy sight unseen.

 

[MinMouse]

We bought sight unseen. We had tried to rent (dare I say it on the DVC threads!) to try it out. We couldn't work out dates/availability so we used the $$$$ for that trip toward the purchase of our first resale contract. It's worked out well for us. We had never done a tour . . . . always afraid it would take up too much of our precious vacation time. We loved Disney, though. We haven't been disappointed. So, if it were me I'd put that money toward my DVC membership.

 

[Juliet25]

I don't think it matters. We bought 150 BWV points and haven't stayed there yet. I can't imagine being disappointed.