Buying into DVC, How Points Work - Buy thru Timeshare Store or Disney?

[heaven2dc]

Ok - I have alot of questions so bear with me please. I am considering buying into BWV timeshare and just watched the Disney DVC video online and now I'm really confused.

1. If I purchase a DVC membership & choose BWV as my home resort, does that mean I'm guaranteed a reservation at the time I select or is it still the same as if I rented from a DVC owner? (what I've experienced is the DVC owner calls DVC reservations and if they can't get a reservation at BWV for instance, then they are given what is available such as SSR which seems to be the case if my vacation is less than 7 months away). I'm trying to figure out why I would purchase instead of just rent from an owner if the result is just the same.

2. Do DVC members get the same towel/room service as guests? I believe guests get daily service but if you are a DVC owner, the cleaning staff only came every 4 days unless you paid for them to come daily.

3. My calculations on a 10 year contract with the interest rate I believe I would qualify for would cost me annually around $1,500. And that would be giving me around 200 points/year. But if I rented, for instance, a one-bedroom villa at BWV for 7 days, the total points for my use month of March would be 270 points for preferred view. So if I rented for $10/point average cost, it would cost me $2,700. By having 200 points (in my mind costing me $1,500), I would need 70 additional points to rent from somebody costing me probably $700 which would mean my trip would cost me $2,200 by being an owner using my 200 points and renting from another DVC member for the additional 70. My question - is my calculation correct that buying DVC membership saves me about $500 on that vacation scenerio?

4. Would you buy direct from Disney or buy a resale thru the Timeshare Store? Any benefits from one versus the other?

5. Has anyone ever been "upgraded" from a standard to a preferred view being a DVC member or is that primarily done for guests paying either rack rates or direct thru Disney reservations?

6th and final question What is your very best benefit you've received by becoming a DVC member?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Your assumption is that you would only be using the contract for 10 years even though it is a 35 year contract. If you own (assuming you don't finance, but buy outright), you have equity that will be able to be sold 10 years out if that is all the longer you want to use it.

DVC owners AND guests all get the same cleaning service. If you make a reservation on points, weather it is as an owner or a guest, you will get trash and towel service on day 4 of a 5 day or longer stay. If you are staying more than a week, you will get a full cleaning on the 4th day and a trash and towel on the 8th day.

The advantage to being an owner over a renter is security. You don't have to worry about who you are dealing with. Renting is not like reserving a room from Disney CRO. You rent from an individual owner.

This is a timeshare. Upgrades will only be done if the room you are scheduled to stay in has something catastrophic happen that takes it out of service. In that case you might be "upgraded" to a different size unit or even a different resort if that is all that might be available.

The best benefit I have gotten from DVC is a guaranteed vacation several times a year at my favorite place. Think of DVC as pre-paying for 35 years of Disney accommodations at today's(or yesterday's) prices.

 

[heaven2dc]

Thanks for all your advice!! I definitely will use the membership services for at least 30 more years - so I wasn't thinking further out than 10 years it would take me to pay it off.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

Hey OP- I see you are headed to BWV soon. You should definately take the DVC tour while at WDW- they will give you a good understanding of the system.

1. If I purchase a DVC membership & choose BWV as my home resort, does that mean I'm guaranteed a reservation at the time I select or is it still the same as if I rented from a DVC owner? (what I've experienced is the DVC owner calls DVC reservations and if they can't get a reservation at BWV for instance, then they are given what is available such as SSR which seems to be the case if my vacation is less than 7 months away). I'm trying to figure out why I would purchase instead of just rent from an owner if the result is just the same.
Owning BWV will give you (and other BWV owners) a 4 month head start for booking at BWV. It is a booking advantage but not a guarantee. At 7 months all points are equal for bookings- home resort doesn't provide any advantage after 7 months.

2. Do DVC members get the same towel/room service as guests? I believe guests get daily service but if you are a DVC owner, the cleaning staff only came every 4 days unless you paid for them to come daily.
Like Diane said: DVC owners AND guests all get the same cleaning service. If you make a reservation on points, weather it is as an owner or a guest, you will get trash and towel service on day 4 of a 5 day or longer stay. If you are staying more than a week, you will get a full cleaning on the 4th day and a trash and towel on the 8th day.

3. My calculations on a 10 year contract with the interest rate I believe I would qualify for would cost me annually around $1,500. And that would be giving me around 200 points/year. But if I rented, for instance, a one-bedroom villa at BWV for 7 days, the total points for my use month of March would be 270 points for preferred view. So if I rented for $10/point average cost, it would cost me $2,700. By having 200 points (in my mind costing me $1,500), I would need 70 additional points to rent from somebody costing me probably $700 which would mean my trip would cost me $2,200 by being an owner using my 200 points and renting from another DVC member for the additional 70. My question - is my calculation correct that buying DVC membership saves me about $500 on that vacation scenerio?
I can't confirm all the math but owning DVC will save you a ton of $ compared to rack rate, a lot of money compared to renting. The fact that you are financing and planning on continuing to rent after buying will (IMO) negatively impact the value of your DVC- the savings is a big factor and you won't be saving as much since your financed points will cost more, and continuing to rent will have you still dealing with the negative aspects of renting including the higher cost of those additional points and possibly allowing a third party to control part of your reservation. I think when you say 10 year contract- you mean 10 year loan, right? If I am incorrect and you actually only need a 10 year contract, and think you will only travel to WDW for the next 10 years- you probably are better off just renting.

4. Would you buy direct from Disney or buy a resale thru the Timeshare Store? Any benefits from one versus the other?
BWV I would buy resale from any reputable reseller.

5. Has anyone ever been "upgraded" from a standard to a preferred view being a DVC member or is that primarily done for guests paying either rack rates or direct thru Disney reservations?
personally no, I have heard it is extremely rare and only due to some sort of emergency maintenance issue or error.

6th and final question What is your very best benefit you've received by becoming a DVC member?
The cost savings on great accomodations- we could never afford that kind of luxury without our DVC.

Good luck!

 

[backyardponder]

Ok - I have alot of questions so bear with me please. I am considering buying into BWV timeshare and just watched the Disney DVC video online and now I'm really confused.

1. If I purchase a DVC membership & choose BWV as my home resort, does that mean I'm guaranteed a reservation at the time I select or is it still the same as if I rented from a DVC owner? (what I've experienced is the DVC owner calls DVC reservations and if they can't get a reservation at BWV for instance, then they are given what is available such as SSR which seems to be the case if my vacation is less than 7 months away). I'm trying to figure out why I would purchase instead of just rent from an owner if the result is just the same.

2. Do DVC members get the same towel/room service as guests? I believe guests get daily service but if you are a DVC owner, the cleaning staff only came every 4 days unless you paid for them to come daily.

3. My calculations on a 10 year contract with the interest rate I believe I would qualify for would cost me annually around $1,500. And that would be giving me around 200 points/year. But if I rented, for instance, a one-bedroom villa at BWV for 7 days, the total points for my use month of March would be 270 points for preferred view. So if I rented for $10/point average cost, it would cost me $2,700. By having 200 points (in my mind costing me $1,500), I would need 70 additional points to rent from somebody costing me probably $700 which would mean my trip would cost me $2,200 by being an owner using my 200 points and renting from another DVC member for the additional 70. My question - is my calculation correct that buying DVC membership saves me about $500 on that vacation scenerio?

4. Would you buy direct from Disney or buy a resale thru the Timeshare Store? Any benefits from one versus the other?

5. Has anyone ever been "upgraded" from a standard to a preferred view being a DVC member or is that primarily done for guests paying either rack rates or direct thru Disney reservations?

6th and final question What is your very best benefit you've received by becoming a DVC member?

#1: You are never "guaranteed" to be able to get a reservation when you want it. For your home resort, you can start reserving 11 months in advance. From what I can tell, most folks have never had a problem at this point. So, I guess it would be the same if you rent from someone at that person's home resort, assuming you get everything worked out 11 months before time and the renter does in fact make that reservation.

#2: Towel service: You are right, you get towels on the 4th day. You do not get daily cleaning unless you pay for it.

#3: I think that was already answered.

#4: I bought BWV through TSS a few months ago. I spoke to my guide and he couldn't come close to the amount I paid through TSS. As long as you have the time to wait for closing, I highly recommend it.

#5: You reserve in the prefered or standard BWV rooms based on how many points you want to spend. One big advantage of BWV standard rooms are their low points combined with being able to walk to Epcot & DHS. Often the standard rooms are reserved early in the 11 month window, so, if that is what you are interested in, having BWV as a home resort is important. OKW is another resort you might want to consider if maximizing use of your points is important to you.

Hope this helps!

 

[heaven2dc]

Hey OP- I see you are headed to BWV soon. You should definately take the DVC tour while at WDW- they will give you a good understanding of the system.

1. If I purchase a DVC membership & choose BWV as my home resort, does that mean I'm guaranteed a reservation at the time I select or is it still the same as if I rented from a DVC owner? (what I've experienced is the DVC owner calls DVC reservations and if they can't get a reservation at BWV for instance, then they are given what is available such as SSR which seems to be the case if my vacation is less than 7 months away). I'm trying to figure out why I would purchase instead of just rent from an owner if the result is just the same.
Owning BWV will give you (and other BWV owners) a 4 month head start for booking at BWV. It is a booking advantage but not a guarantee. At 7 months all points are equal for bookings- home resort doesn't provide any advantage after 7 months.

2. Do DVC members get the same towel/room service as guests? I believe guests get daily service but if you are a DVC owner, the cleaning staff only came every 4 days unless you paid for them to come daily.
Like Diane said: DVC owners AND guests all get the same cleaning service. If you make a reservation on points, weather it is as an owner or a guest, you will get trash and towel service on day 4 of a 5 day or longer stay. If you are staying more than a week, you will get a full cleaning on the 4th day and a trash and towel on the 8th day.

3. My calculations on a 10 year contract with the interest rate I believe I would qualify for would cost me annually around $1,500. And that would be giving me around 200 points/year. But if I rented, for instance, a one-bedroom villa at BWV for 7 days, the total points for my use month of March would be 270 points for preferred view. So if I rented for $10/point average cost, it would cost me $2,700. By having 200 points (in my mind costing me $1,500), I would need 70 additional points to rent from somebody costing me probably $700 which would mean my trip would cost me $2,200 by being an owner using my 200 points and renting from another DVC member for the additional 70. My question - is my calculation correct that buying DVC membership saves me about $500 on that vacation scenerio?
I can't confirm all the math but owning DVC will save you a ton of $ compared to rack rate, a lot of money compared to renting. The fact that you are financing and planning on continuing to rent after buying will (IMO) negatively impact the value of your DVC- the savings is a big factor and you won't be saving as much since your financed points will cost more, and continuing to rent will have you still dealing with the negative aspects of renting including the higher cost of those additional points and possibly allowing a third party to control part of your reservation. I think when you say 10 year contract- you mean 10 year loan, right? If I am incorrect and you actually only need a 10 year contract, and think you will only travel to WDW for the next 10 years- you probably are better off just renting.

4. Would you buy direct from Disney or buy a resale thru the Timeshare Store? Any benefits from one versus the other?
BWV I would buy resale from any reputable reseller.

5. Has anyone ever been "upgraded" from a standard to a preferred view being a DVC member or is that primarily done for guests paying either rack rates or direct thru Disney reservations?
personally no, I have heard it is extremely rare and only due to some sort of emergency maintenance issue or error.

6th and final question What is your very best benefit you've received by becoming a DVC member?
The cost savings on great accomodations- we could never afford that kind of luxury without our DVC.

Good luck!

Thank you SO much - I just realized I said 10 year contract, I did mean 10-year loan. It is making more sense to buy into DVC rather than renting points. I plan on going at least once a year until I can no longer travel (and that would be when I'm old and 100 lol). Over the long haul, I want to visit more than once a year plus want to treat my kids once in awhile so they can save on their vacation by not having to worry about paying for a room.

Now I can't wait until I contact the Timeshare Store this week! I can't financially afford to start the process until November but definitely want to talk to someone soon!

 

[oakmanner]

Go for it! We'll look forward to welcoming you home when you become a member.

Dennis-