BWV vs. OKW vs. VBR

[Mississippian]

After about five years out of the system I'm thinking about buying back in. It would have been cheaper if I had acted a year ago. I've more or less narrowed my choice down to three resorts and will share my personal pros and cons. I'd love to hear any thoughts, although obviously this is a decision we'll have to make ourselves.

BWV: This was our resort before and we like it. Cheapest walking-distance resort, plus standard view rooms. I assume the booking window is still important here.

OKW: I really want to be in a walking-distance resort, but I could stand to stay here just because of the lower point cost up front and then the lower point cost of the rooms. Another family shared a grand villa here with us and it was a lot of fun. An affordable luxury.

VBR: We like Vero Beach, and it might be fun to get a beach house here, which I suspect would require the 11-month window. These points are going for just over half of what the BWV points go for. The maintenance fees are higher, but if you factor it out at eight-percent interest the up-front discount more than makes up for the added maintenance fees.

I will say my desires as far as visiting WDW are as follows:
1. I really want to stay in a walking-distance or monorail resort.
2. If I can't have No. 1, then VWL.
3. If I can't have 1 or 2, then any resort but SSR

Five years ago anybody who booked after seven months was stuck staying at SSR whether they wanted to or not. Now there are a lot of additional units. Has this increased availability considerably?

Thanks for any thoughts on this!

 

[lovin'fl]

Welcome back!!! I will give my thoughts as an OKW, HHI, AKV and BWV owner.

First of all, we bought OKW in 2006 and have used those points at every east coast DVC (so at 7 months out or less) except VGF. We have been trying out all the resorts and like switching all around, but we do have our preferences. There are 2 important factors we consider:
1- walking to parks (or boating...we do not like busing or monorail)...BWV, BCV and BLT...then VWL for boat to MK (VGF is just too many points and I assume Poly will be as well)
2- conserving points (so we can take more trips)...BWV, AKV and OKW

We bought HHI for years we don't want to spend on park tickets and airfare (thought every other year, though we have been getting sucked into buying, and using frequently, the PAP specials). Really best to own at HHI, and likewise VB, if you want to stay in the summer and/or get a grand villa.

We think we'll sell our OKW in the next few years and then buy a chunk of points at BLT (or maybe VWL). We'll probably add more BWV as well. If I was told that I had to own all our points at just one resort I'd pick BWV. The location and point conserving makes it the best place for us...and we love the resort too. Thankfully we don't have to select just one home resort and we like our 100 AKV points for a nice resort stay (best overall resort...not considering park touring)...can conserve points at AKV or we can do club level (we hope to try club level next Aug...will book soon...need to book right at 11 months out). Another thing we are thinking about, and why we want to trade our OKW for BLT, is expiration. Of our 505 points, 405 expire in just 28 years and we are only 41. We don't mind keeping the HHI and BWV but we'd like to add more points with a later expiration to our AKV points. We'd also like 555-600 total points (divisible by 3...we have 3 kids). As far as VB goes, my DH loved the resale prices he was seeing and we looked into buying...but what we figured out is if you plan to keep them more than 8 years or so, you will catch up to the buy in savings with the high annual dues you will pay for those (takes about 8 years to catch up).

So out of your 3 choices, I vote BWV. Happy hunting for your new contract!!!

 

[staceymay00]

We own at OKW and like staying there, but if I knew then what I know now there is a chance I would go with BWV instead. The main reason is because OKW can more easily be booked at seven months than BWV. As a stand alone resort, I like actually like OKW more than BWV, but walking to two of the four parks is great. We liked BWV, don't get me wrong, but I prefer the pool at OKW, parking right in front of our building and the more spacious villas. One day when our kids have families of their own, we may be booking grand villas and in that case I will be very happy to be an OKW owner able to book at 11 months. It is definitely possible these days to book resorts other than SSR at seven months. We have done it even being tied to the school schedule, however there are certain holidays and times of year when it is almost impossible to book anything but SSR and OKW, maybe AKV, at seven months.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[drusba]

Some considerations (and much of the info is based on patterns seen the last few years since on-line booking, which allows you to see availability, began):

1. VB dues are the highest and keep going up annually. In the long run, they may defeat the cost savings you mention.

2. If you usually want any of the following, you better own at the resort and use the 11 month window because they can be difficult to impossible to get at 7 months out almost any time of year: AKV value and club level, BLT standard view, BW standard and boardwalk view, VGF studios (and 2BR lock-offs as a result), BCV 2BR with two gueens in the second bedroom, BWV GVs and the OKW GV that is in the Hospitality House booking category.

3. If you usually want any near park resort (VGF, BWV, BCV, BLT, and to some extent VWL) between late September and the end of marathon weekend in Jan, you should consider owning at the resort because they are often gone during that period at 7 months out.

4. If your preference is to go the first or second week of Dec, Christmas week, Tues through Fri of Thanksgiving week, Columbus Day weekend, the weekend after Columbus Day weekend, or the second weekend in Nov, then you should own at a WDW resort of your choice and use 11 month window, SSR is usually open at 7 months out during those times but, although usually open, AKV and OKW even have some risk of being gone before 7 months out for those times (or disappearing at 7 months out within minutes after the 7 month window opens online at 8 a.m. eastern).

5. As to times between the Monday after marathon weekend in Jan to the last week in Sep, DVC's low to moderate demand time at WDW, you will be able to get, as near park resort options at 7 months out, BWV pool/garden view, BLT lake view, and VWL. BCV is also usually open except studios and 2BRs may be gone for some days during holidays and around race or other special event (e.g., Star Wars) weekends; BLT theme park view is the same as BCV except its 1BRs can also disappear during the July 4 holiday time

6. All of the above are current patterns. Disney has the ability to change reservation patterns significantly. First, it can reallocate points. The total points at a resort cannot change but DVD can lower points for some times of year and room sizes while raising them for other times of year or room sizes, while keeping total points the same. Effective Jan 1, 2013, DVD raised the points needed year round for Treehouse Villas at SSR by about 15% while lowering points for all other rooms at SSR (in very small percentages because there are far more other rooms than THV's). The result is that the THV's went, essentially overnight, from being a reservation almost impossible to get at 7 months out any time of year to one easy to get at 7 months out almost any time of year except for the highest DVC demand times of the year. Second, Disney can create new or change special events. For example the last full weekend of Feb was among the lowest DVC demand times of the year. Since the introduction of the Princess Half Marathon for that weekend, it has become the highest DVC demand time between mid-Jan and late Sep. In other words, any purchasing plan of VB that depends on current 7 month avaiability at WDW could be shattered in the future by a change by Disney.


7. The end date is starting to become important for many in the choice of resort. BWV, BCV, VWL, VB, HH, and much of OKW all have a 2042 end date, while the others range from 2054 to 2062

 

[Dean]

After about five years out of the system I'm thinking about buying back in. It would have been cheaper if I had acted a year ago. I've more or less narrowed my choice down to three resorts and will share my personal pros and cons. I'd love to hear any thoughts, although obviously this is a decision we'll have to make ourselves.

BWV: This was our resort before and we like it. Cheapest walking-distance resort, plus standard view rooms. I assume the booking window is still important here.

OKW: I really want to be in a walking-distance resort, but I could stand to stay here just because of the lower point cost up front and then the lower point cost of the rooms. Another family shared a grand villa here with us and it was a lot of fun. An affordable luxury.

VBR: We like Vero Beach, and it might be fun to get a beach house here, which I suspect would require the 11-month window. These points are going for just over half of what the BWV points go for. The maintenance fees are higher, but if you factor it out at eight-percent interest the up-front discount more than makes up for the added maintenance fees.

I will say my desires as far as visiting WDW are as follows:
1. I really want to stay in a walking-distance or monorail resort.
2. If I can't have No. 1, then VWL.
3. If I can't have 1 or 2, then any resort but SSR

Five years ago anybody who booked after seven months was stuck staying at SSR whether they wanted to or not. Now there are a lot of additional units. Has this increased availability considerably?

Thanks for any thoughts on this!

I think realistically you're looking at about a $20 to $25 spread (roughly) between SSR, AKV and OKW. You'll likely spend more in the first 10 yrs or so owning VB than SSR or a 2042 OKW and be pretty close for AKV. You'd also be giving up the 11 month window. As a single purchase I wouldn't recommend it unless you were going to use it routinely OR you could get a subsidized contract without paying a premium. SSR will be your cheapest option and given you've already stated you're willing to consider non 11 month priority, it's likely what I'd do in your situation; but BWV may be the best as you've stated it assuming you're mostly going to use the standard view option.