Buy Where You Want to Stay

[nakedbear]

All I ever read is buy where you want to stay. I also read that most people have no problem staying somewhere else at the 7 month window. Also many predictions how it is going to get harder to stay as SSR fills up. I don't think that is an absolute rule yet if you can be flexible with your weeks and room selections. In my case I don't care where I stay as long as it is on the property, so I bought at OKW. The lower fees and the fact that I can be flexible with my vacation make it a good choice for me. I really think it is not a hard and fast rule to tell new buyers as there are many of us who are just happy to stay on property. I will sell my points if the system becomes rigid and I will have to always book at 11 months out. I say buy what you can afford! Any property you buy at DVC is a good investment in your vacations.

 

[Chuck S]

Your points are true if any resort on property will do, and you tend to travel at slower season for DVC. However, if you are a person that simply MUST stay at XYZ villas our your vacation is "ruined" during a busy time of year, then absolutely buy at XYZ resort. For a while we we're routinely seeing that type of post. I bought at OKW to save $$, but I really wanted to stay at one of the other resorts, and now I can't and blah blah blah, and it ruined my vacation blah blah blah. And it really is a good rule of thumb. DVC can restrict us to our home resort, which I expect we will see as we approach 2042.

 

[Mark099]

I think it's more like buying where you would like to stay most often. I think all DVC members would like to try all the resorts at some point. I know, I would and probably will. As long as future resorts are built around a theme park or in an area where year round travel is enjoyable we will all be fine. January at WDW can be nice, but HHI doesn't offer the same appeal.

 

[nakedbear]

Thanks Chuck and Mark! I never saw any of those threads and I didn't know that Disney could restrict you to your home resort! They should mention that in their video! Well I am happy with OKW and the savings are extensive so if that is where I get stuck it is fine with me!

 

[Granny]

As Mark099 said, the advice is generally to buy where you want to stay the most. If you truly don't care where you stay, then buying at OKW makes perfect sense with the lowest buy in cost and lowest annual dues.

Many people have strong affiliations with particular resorts and would be disappointed if they couldn't regularly book those resorts. In that case, buying where you want to stay the most makes a lot of sense in securing the home resort booking advantage.

 

[lenshanem]

I would highly encourage anyone looking to buy where they want to stay at most!

I could say that I'm at WDW so where does it matter where I'm sleeping, but DVC is much more than that. As you go more often, you spend much more time at the resorts. If I thought like that why even buy DVC, I could just stay at one of the values every trip. To me the resort and theming is part of the experience of the trip.

Yes, I am a tad worried. (But those that know me from here know I'm a worry wart! ) I have strong feelings for VWL. I will be very sad if we can't ever get in there cause we own at BCV instead. I also had a trip to BWV with a BW view recently and I can say that completely SPOILED me. So I really hope I can get VWL and BWV in the future.

When I bought we financed thru Disney. We had a choice of VB, BCV or VWL. I struggled with this decision and ended up with BCV and now I regret it. I was being too sensible! I was looking at figures instead of my heart. I thought rooms at WL weren't as expensive as BC so DVC at BCV was more of a deal. I also was thinking the mentality that WL had discounts often that were fairly good. What good does this do me now? Other problem was the BCV use year was better for us than the VWL use year they had left.

I must admit the guides don't really explain the seven month thing too well. I was encouraged to add on to VB even though we didn't plan to stay there as much. I was told it didn't matter, you can stay anywhere. I think they are probably using this as a sales tactic now at SSR. A matter of fact, I read this from someone the other day on this board.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by nakedbear
All I ever read is buy where you want to stay. I also read that most people have no problem staying somewhere else at the 7 month window. Also many predictions how it is going to get harder to stay as SSR fills up. I don't think that is an absolute rule yet if you can be flexible with your weeks and room selections. In my case I don't care where I stay as long as it is on the property, so I bought at OKW. The lower fees and the fact that I can be flexible with my vacation make it a good choice for me. I really think it is not a hard and fast rule to tell new buyers as there are many of us who are just happy to stay on property. I will sell my points if the system becomes rigid and I will have to always book at 11 months out. I say buy what you can afford! Any property you buy at DVC is a good investment in your vacations.

My recommendations have always been the following:

• If you want to stay at a specific resort most stays, buy there period.
• If you just want to be on property and try out all the resorts and can be flexible any one trip, buy the cheapest option on property, usually OKW.
• Do not buy off site with the idea of staying mostly on site.
• If you want HH summer, buy there.
• Only buy VB if you want to stay there a significant portion of the time. This may also become more important as the membership grows, especially for Xmas to Easter, their high season.
• If you need a special room like BWV standard view or a GV, buy at the appropriate resort.

Even if varying from these recommendations would generally work out, why complicate your life if you don't have to. Why take the risk at the 7 month window. For on property stays, the choice you've made of OKW, is actually one of the best options. You can book on property at the 11 month window then change over at 7 months. You can go on the wait list in various ways if what you want is not available at the 7 month window.

For many this means buying points at MORE THAN ONE RESORT.

 

[lenshanem]

Oh, I want to also add that those with kids have to go by the school calender so we aren't as flexible with our dates as others. Mine are young so we have many years still left to go until we are free to travel when we want. I don't want to pull them out of school.

 

[eporter66]

Our attitude when we bought was that we love Disney, and to stay at a luxury Disney resort would be great. We have enjoyed the other resorts (especially Wilderness Lodge), but since SSR is what was for sale at the time, we went with SSR.

After our trip in May, we both agreed that we would be more than happy if we were ever restricted to our home resort. We loved it.

On the other hand, we also intend to try all the DVC resorts. That was another bonus that helped us decide to join DVC.

I think for most people the best advice is to buy where you want to stay. But, for us personally, we felt any upscale Disney resort would more than suit our needs.

Eric

 

[mbhoxsie]

I didn't know that Disney could restrict you to your home resort! They should mention that in their video!

This is the main reason I think it's a BIG mistake for people to buy at any of the offsite resorts if they have the intent of using to points to stay onsite....

There are no restrictions no on exchanging, but there is nothing in the contracts that guarantee our ability to trade resorts into the future.

The only thing we are guaranteed is the fact that we can use our points to stay at our home resort until 2042 or 2054.

 

[Mike]

I wonder if, as more resorts are built, DVC will break down the resorts into groups and only allow members to stay at resorts within your group. For example, all resorts whose contract ends in 2042 would constitute one group while SSR and future resorts would constitute a second group. So, according to this theory, owners at HH, VB, OKW, BWV, BCV and VWL would continue as things were pre-SSR. I didn't think this was possible because I wasn't sure about the wording in the member contracts (I haven't closed on my resale yet). But from some of the posts above, it seems that there are no guarantees that members can stay anywhere but their home resort (boy did my guide neglect to mention that !!!) so this scenario is possible. Any thoughts?

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Mike
I wonder if, as more resorts are built, DVC will break down the resorts into groups and only allow members to stay at resorts within your group. For example, all resorts whose contract ends in 2042 would constitute one group while SSR and future resorts would constitute a second group. So, according to this theory, owners at HH, VB, OKW, BWV, BCV and VWL would continue as things were pre-SSR. I didn't think this was possible because I wasn't sure about the wording in the member contracts (I haven't closed on my resale yet). But from some of the posts above, it seems that there are no guarantees that members can stay anywhere but their home resort (boy did my guide neglect to mention that !!!) so this scenario is possible. Any thoughts?

There are no guarantees to use the club but it's unlikely they will simply decide to block DVC internal exchanges. If they were going to do so, SSR would have been the perfect opportunity. There's simply no advantage to DVC or DVD to block exchanges. OTOH, as the end of the system draws near, expect a ban on banking and possibly borrowing points plus some other type of rationing that last couple of years. How they will do it is hard to say but they already have experiences with a lottery and special season preference lists though my guess is they will prorate the last couple of years of points.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Originally posted by lenshanem

Yes, I am a tad worried. (But those that know me from here know I'm a worry wart! ) I have strong feelings for VWL. I will be very sad if we can't ever get in there cause we own at BCV instead. I also had a trip to BWV with a BW view recently and I can say that completely SPOILED me. So I really hope I can get VWL and BWV in the future.

When I bought we financed thru Disney. We had a choice of VB, BCV or VWL. I struggled with this decision and ended up with BCV and now I regret it. I was being too sensible! I was looking at figures instead of my heart. I thought rooms at WL weren't as expensive as BC so DVC at BCV was more of a deal. I also was thinking the mentality that WL had discounts often that were fairly good. What good does this do me now? Other problem was the BCV use year was better for us than the VWL use year they had left.

I must admit the guides don't really explain the seven month thing too well. I was encouraged to add on to VB even though we didn't plan to stay there as much. I was told it didn't matter, you can stay anywhere. I think they are probably using this as a sales tactic now at SSR. A matter of fact, I read this from someone the other day on this board.

Kind of the oppisite with us. We got talked into buying at VWL instead of doing what I really wanted to do, wait for BCV to open. (our guide once again said you can stay anywhere, VWL is the smallest and the hardest to get into so buy now. I think she just wanted to lock in the deal.) If I could just swicth my home resort with out much trouble now I would. I am ok with VWL, but I love BCV and really consider it my home. To each their own! Having said that we haven't had too much problems staying at other resorts. So far out of 4 trips only one was VWL, and we did book that 11 months out. We hope to stay at BCV this march, but don't want to stay at VWL so we haven't even booked it yet (since we are always borrowing points, we will take our chances and books 7 months out in Aug.) If we end up and boardwalk instead or even SSR I will be ok with that. Now we want a small add on and feel that we should do it at VWL even though we don't want more points there, but we should keep them all together (going from 170 to around 220 or 250 depending on what we can find.)

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by Dean
There are no guarantees to use the club but it's unlikely they will simply decide to block DVC internal exchanges. If they were going to do so, SSR would have been the perfect opportunity. There's simply no advantage to DVC or DVD to block exchanges. OTOH, as the end of the system draws near, expect a ban on banking and possibly borrowing points plus some other type of rationing that last couple of years. How they will do it is hard to say but they already have experiences with a lottery and special season preference lists though my guess is they will prorate the last couple of years of points.

You beat me to the punch on that one, Dean. Why in the world would DVC want to restrict people to their home resort? I can see no advantage to DVC in doing so--they still need to manage reservations for the entire program whether people book at their Home or another resort. On the other hand, by doing so they would be losing one of the main selling points for the program--the ability to book at any of the DVC properties.

There are a LOT of things that Disney could do over the next 40 years to impact our ownership in an unpredictable way. (I'm sure many of you remember the "Comcast-land" panic about 6 months ago.) To blame DVC Guides for not forewarning of potential members about dreamed-up scenarios is crazy.

When all else fails, remember that DVC has two masters to serve--those of us who already purchased and those who MAY purchase someday. DVC has a vested interest to not "damage" current members because they don't want to sink the program as a whole. In doing so, they forfeit future sales from folks who have become disenchanted with the program.

 

[dcfromva]

Each person has their own tastes, so it is always an individual decision.
For us, we absolutely LOVE staying at the BCV over New Year's Eve. I think it would be tricky to get accomodations there at the 7month window. (Last year, we waited until about 10months prior to finalizing our plans and we were put on the waiting list for a while). I suppose some folks have had success with booking at the 7month window, but I am such a worrier--I wouldn't enjoy the process.

We also enjoy the food and wine festival. We did have a couple of times where the wait list did not come through for us during that time frame. (Our 1st year of membership (2002), we stayed at OKW instead of BCV. In 2003, we had BCV, but we thought we would try for a std view BWV. Neither wait list came through. We bought BWV points and for this year we sucessfully booked at the 11month window for a std view villa during the F &W festival )

I suppose if you are not particular about where you get a reservation or you are not able to make reservations more than 7 months in advance anyway, then it wouldn't matter.

-DC

 

[Lesley]

"I never saw any of those threads and I didn't know that Disney could restrict you to your home resort! They should mention that in their video!"

This is also why its very important to know everything that is in your paperwork before you sign at the mouse ears and hand over the money....it really surprises me how many have joined DVC w/o making sure they read the fine print.

If you don't care where you stay at WDW then any WDW DVC will do for you....but I have to say I'm very happy to own at BWV and VWL. I've never had trouble booking OKW on short notice and I'm confident that if I ever want to stay there I will be able to get the reservation at 7 months. I'm not so confident about getting reservations at the BCV, HHI or even the VWL when I'm out of those points. Only time will tell about SSR.

I think buy where you want to stay is a very good general rule, though one you can ignore in certain circumstances. Just not if you want to stay at a particular resort at a busy time...like VWL at the holidays, or HHI during the summer.

 

[BillPA]

I agree that if you have the budget, buy where you want to stay most often. If you are the type that can NOT make plans 11 months ahead, then save the $$ and go for the lowest cost.

We have 3 home resorts, we really like having the 11 month window to book at OKW, BCV and VWL allows us to stay where we want, when we want.

Gotta' love DVC for all the great choices.

 

[nakedbear]

It still seems to me that you should buy where you want to stay only if you are not flexible with your times and you will book at 11 months. You are all big planners, but I bet there are a lot of us, (and probably not on this list) that will never know 11 months out what week they want to go away. That is why I bought into it in the first place because of it's touted flexiblity and not being limited to a specific week. I only go to WDW off season, because the crowds are so much lighter. For people like me, I'd tell them to buy at OKW because it is the best deal for your money at resale! Of course I am happy wherever I stay on Disney property. Someone said why by DVC then? Because I get a better room for less money than I would pay at the moderates, that's why! I just think we should tell new people "it depends" because they may save a lot of money over time if their vacation habits are different from yours.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by nakedbear
It still seems to me that you should buy where you want to stay only if you are not flexible with your times and you will book at 11 months. You are all big planners, but I bet there are a lot of us, (and probably not on this list) that will never know 11 months out what week they want to go away. That is why I bought into it in the first place because of it's touted flexiblity and not being limited to a specific week. I only go to WDW off season, because the crowds are so much lighter. For people like me, I'd tell them to buy at OKW because it is the best deal for your money at resale! Of course I am happy wherever I stay on Disney property. Someone said why by DVC then? Because I get a better room for less money than I would pay at the moderates, that's why! I just think we should tell new people "it depends" because they may save a lot of money over time if their vacation habits are different from yours.

The problem is it's a gamble. Actually anyone planning more than 7 months out would fall into the group that should usually buy where they want to stay. And frankly, I'd be concerned that DVC will not continue to work well for someone that can't plan at least 7 months out and question whether they should even buy DVC.