buying where you stay?

[katieam1]

How important is it to buy where you want to stay? SSR right now is $95 per point through Disney. But I really want to be at BLT which is more money. I really don't want to stay at SSR but if we buy there will we have to because of lack of spots at other resorts? I am so close but keep coming up with all these questions.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

How important is it to buy where you want to stay? SSR right now is $95 per point through Disney. But I really want to be at BLT which is more money. I really don't want to stay at SSR but if we buy there will we have to because of lack of spots at other resorts? I am so close but keep coming up with all these questions.

If you are able to make reservations more than 7 months in advance then I would suggest buying where you want to stay.

If you typically make reservations less than 7 months in advance then I would suggest looking at Saratoga Springs on the resale market.

Jason

 

[katieam1]

If you are able to make reservations more than 7 months in advance then I would suggest buying where you want to stay.

If you typically make reservations less than 7 months in advance then I would suggest looking at Saratoga Springs on the resale market.

Jason

Is Financing as easy to get on the resale market? We hate taking that much out of our savings so monthly payments work better for us.

 

[phorsenuf]

I've never had an issue booking somewhere else, even under the 7 rule. I've gotten a same day Boardwalk room several times.

But of course too it depends on the time of year.

 

[Stinger5]

Katie,

I started a similar thread a week or so ago because i am also looking at a similar purchase.

The consensus was that you should buy where you want to stay and after doing some research, I think it was very good advice. I think that SSR (resales) are a very good price and their yearly fees are low, but i will probably be spending a small amount more to get a BCV because that is where my family likes the best.

I would recommend that you check the resale listings-you will get a much better price than directly from Disney. Then you can decide which deal makes the most sense for you and your family.

Good luck with your search for the right deal

 

[JWG]

Buy where you want to stay. Disney could at some point change booking rules for non-home resorts.

More importantly, at peak times you likely won't get a 7 mos. reservation. I just tried to do so for a trip during low season (2nd week of December) and could only get SSR or AKV. I could not get BLT, BWV, VWL, BCV or even OKW (OKW only had one day conflict, but still not available for length of stay).

Some people have been lucky to do so, but I think you'll be sorry when you can't get where you really want to be.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

Buy where you want to stay. Disney could at some point change booking rules for non-home resorts.

That is true. I personally think Disney might change the rules to make it be an 11/10 rule instead of 11/7. Meaning once it is 10 months in advance or less you can book anywhere regardless of where you own.

Jason

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

Is Financing as easy to get on the resale market? We hate taking that much out of our savings so monthly payments work better for us.

I have had many buyers get financing and they did not always have the perfect credit or financial situation. Here is a link to Timeshare Lending.

http://www.timesharelending.net/

Jason

 

[disneynutz]

That is true. I personally think Disney might change the rules to make it be an 11/10 rule instead of 11/7. Meaning once it is 10 months in advance or less you can book anywhere regardless of where you own.

Jason

They could also change it to a 12/6.

Bill

 

[katieam1]

Thank you for all the replies. My husband and I have a lot to think about.

 

[JWG]

They could also change it to a 12/6.

Bill

This is my concern. As DVC grows and owners from Aluani and other non-WDW locations decide they want to take a Disney vacation, will the booking windows shrink for non-home resorts to make sure point owners can get it?

Probably not, but we'll see.

 

[StitchBuddy]

I think it depends on how important it is for you to stay at a specific resort and what type of accommadations you will need. Also, I think your preferences will change over time. For example, when my DD was small BLT would have appealed to me, but she is 13 now and I don't spend that much time in the parks, the pool is the big draw now. We are still looking into buying, but I am thinking down the road I will just enjoy somewhere quiet and relaxing like OKW or SS. Right now though I want BC, BW, or AKV.

 

[Lynne M]

If you'll be disappointed if you can't stay at BLT, and you can book earlier than 7 months, buy at BLT. Even an SSR resale isn't cheap.....why spend all that money and go into debt , and then have to stress over whether you'll get a reservation every time?

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

i think that taking away something that favor owners isn't
in the cards. [ you comment as if you have insider knowledge].

be as it may, they seem already having problems with the
11/7 period, so i can't see them making their job harder &
creating new issues.


however, i think this is more complicated than buying where
one wants to stay. for example, those scoring under the 7mos.,

...the first thing i was asking myself, "do they live in fl."? because
in that case, buying @ ssr for points would be a more reasonable
option. locally, ( close to wdw) easily to score during the off seasons
& not having the pressure when it's a no-go, or not getting all the
dates.


pattern of your most favorite times to go & where you most likely
want to stay. [ we picked sept. uy, though we went last july &
several times when our boys were little. but based on our
desires in the future, summer is no longer the time we want to go.

therefore, expected changes thru the years should be something
one might also want to consider.

and what are your retirement plans? [ does it include wdw & fla.,
or california areas? )

anyway, i think where a person buys isn't a single factor but a
whole series. good luck.

 

[Dean]

How important is it to buy where you want to stay? SSR right now is $95 per point through Disney. But I really want to be at BLT which is more money. I really don't want to stay at SSR but if we buy there will we have to because of lack of spots at other resorts? I am so close but keep coming up with all these questions.

I'd buy where you want to stay at somewhere like BLT retail only if you really truly want to stay there MOST trips. Otherwise, I think SSR resale is the best value currently. So if you'd be happy staying at SSR but prefer to stay elsewhere, the savings of buying on site but cheaper is almost certainly worth it for the minor risk. $95 retail vs $65 or less resale (assuming a reasonable sized contract), is a now brainer to me. Whether BLT or others are worth a premium of rouhgly $40 a point, one has to answer for themselves.

 

[DenLo]

Buy where you want to stay. Disney could at some point change booking rules for non-home resorts.

More importantly, at peak times you likely won't get a 7 mos. reservation. I just tried to do so for a trip during low season (2nd week of December) and could only get SSR or AKV. I could not get BLT, BWV, VWL, BCV or even OKW (OKW only had one day conflict, but still not available for length of stay).

Some people have been lucky to do so, but I think you'll be sorry when you can't get where you really want to be.

JWG's post really points out the difference between low season for the parks and high season for DVC resorts. The first two weeks of December are probably the most popular time for DVC members to book a villa and the second is October. These two vacation periods are directly related to events that are going on in the parks (and DVC related activities) and cost less points to stay at WDW than during spring break, many holidays and even during the summer months. Many DVC members have adapted to the point charts trying to maximize their points, although some are still restricted to the busy park dates because of their children being in school.

If you are not limited to traveling to WDW whenever there is availability at a DVC resort then choosing a home resort based on price makes sense. However, if you know there will be times that it is really important for you to get a reservation for a specific date and it happens to be a busy time at either the DVC villas or the WDW parks, I would recommend that you buy where you want to stay and book during the home resort advantage period, 8 to 11 months before your check in date. Less worry and good start to your vacation.

 

[JimMIA]

I don't see any change in the 11/7 booking windows. I know they could do that, but I don't think they will.

First of all, I'm not aware of any big problems with the current 11/7 system. If someone can't get a reservation at a non-home resort at 7 months, that is certainly not a problem for DVC...it means their resort is full.

Secondly, IMHO, it would be bad for DVC direct sales. If they can only offer new buyers a 1 month advantage booking BLT, AKV or Aulani, why would anyone buy those resorts direct? You know those big resorts are not going to fill up in one month.

I agree SSR is probably the best resale value right now. OKW is also good. Both have low per-point prices and low maintenance fees.

My advice is "DON'T buy where you would be disappointed to stay."

IF (and it's a big IF) a prospective buyer anticipates spending all or almost all of their vacations at a certain resort, or they vacation during peak times and want a certain resort -- AND they can reliably book more than 7 months out -- I would say buy that resort. If a buyer is buying points specifically to stay at VB, HHI, GC, or Aulani, I would say buy that resort because you will need the booking advantage for the busier periods.

If a buyer MUST stay at VWL or BCV during Thanksgiving - New Years, or BCV or BWV during Food & Wine, I would say buy those resorts...and buy them resale. DVC's direct price for BWV and BCV is crazy -- $115 vs high $70's for BCV and low $70's for BWV resale.

For almost any purchase, I'd look at resale first and direct only if I coulnd't find what I needed in the resale market.

For a 200-point purchase, a $30 difference per point is $6,000! That's really hard to pass up -- and with some contracts, the difference is more than $30 per point.

 

[Sandisw]

We went through the same process last year. We only became truly interested in DVC when they announced BLT (we had looked for years but knew that the location of the CR and walking to MK were just too important to us).

We thought about just buying in at SSR to save money, as it would be about $5000 cheaper than BLT. We even bought a small 50 point contract at VWL, our 2nd choice resort, thinking we'd start there and add on slowly.

Well, that didn't happen. Once I was a member, I really wanted to own BLT and added on within a week of closing. I then owned 130 BLT and 50 VWL. The good things was that because I was already a member when I did the 130 BLT points, I paid less for them then I would have had a been a new member.

Then I started trying to plan out my 2010 vacation and realized that having two different resorts with the amounts I had did not allow me to book my whole trip at BLT (without borrowing) so I sold the VWL and repurchased another 50 points at BLT direct from Disney.

After all was said and done, I figured I now had the resort I love and in the long run, I spent very little extra to get it. Even if I figure my DVC lasts me only 10 years (and it will last much longer than that!), I spent what amounts to an extra $500/yr.

For us, it was worth spending $18,000 to get a resort we loved than spending $13,000 to get someplace we did not.

It really comes down to how important where you stay is for YOU. For my family, it is the #1 priority. For others, if they are on Disney property somewhere, they are happy. If you try to book at 7 months and can't get BLT, how will you feel? If there is going to be any disappointment, then I say go with your first choice.

However, if you think you would be okay with SSR, then look in to that but I would certainly investigate the resale avenue.

But, in case you did not know, you can use a Disney Visa when buying direct and they will give you 6 months, 0% interest up to (I believe) $10,000. This helped us buy our 2nd contract sooner rather than later.

Good luck!

 

[dudelydude]

Johnny-Come-Lately here....Many people don't look past the name of the resort. You have to dig deep and (virtually) see yourself at these DVC resorts....I know....very zen, right? But, put yourself on the property and look around you. What are the units like....what's the pool like? Restaurants? Golf? Proxmity to Parks?

I thought about what I love MOST about WDW and what I like LEAST. We never have a car when we visit, so transportation was the biggest consideration for us. We had to think about how much time we spend walking vs mono-rail vs bus. The thought of being on the monorail line, having access to MK and Epcot via monorail (as well as Poly, GF, CR and boat to VWL) was the nudge to consider BLT. It puts you in the center of alot of action.

Although SSR has great access to DTD, SSR is kind of out on an island. Also, the integrity (efficiency) of bus service is often questioned. But buses aside, the sprawling layout and theming of SSR may be something you love....SO many people do buy there because they simply love it.

Bottom line is, make sure you can see yourself there.

 

[JimMIA]

It really comes down to how important where you stay is for YOU. For my family, it is the #1 priority. For others, if they are on Disney property somewhere, they are happy.

That is one of the two KEY questions everyone should ask, and very clearly stated.

The FIRST question I would ask myself, though, is "Realistically, can I reliably book a vacation more than seven months in advance (and precisely at 11 months ahead if you are talking about peak times)?"

Many families can; many others - because of work or family considerations - simply can't do that. If your family is one of those who can't (or you know in your heart that you won't ) then home resort is really a meaningless concept except for the money part.

If you try to book at 7 months and can't get BLT, how will you feel? If there is going to be any disappointment, then I say go with your first choice.

Well...there are degrees of disappointment. When I was booking a vacation at BCV during Flower and Garden, I would have had a small tinge of disappointment if we'd failed (we got it easily at 4 1/2 months out). But I would have somehow moved on and it would not have ruined my DVC ownership experience.

OTOH, for some families, being able to get VWL at Christmas is really huge. Importance depends on your needs and it is relative, not absolute.