choosing home resort

[constantstar]

How did you guys choose your home resort?

My kids are little (boy 2 & girl 4) and right now Poly seems perfect with the studios & monorail. As they get older though, I can see wanting a 1 bedroom or larger. The other resorts I'm considering are Bay Lake Tower & Animal Kingdom. I don't care for the theme of BLT but the location seems great - it's the opposite with AKV (love theme, hate location). PVB does seem like the perfect combination. How hard is it to rent elsewhere at 7 months? We normally vacation in February (over Mardi Gras) but we're going in December & October for the next trips. I can be flexible with dates though. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[suebeelin]

My older sisters kids only want the boardwalk area, and they are 12/14. She said MK is great until the kids are 8/9 max.

In any case, bc of my sisters advice (she bought BLT in 2009, wishes she had bw area resort now bc that's the only area she stays at), I'm an owner of both bwv and BLT.

It's hard to get the near park resorts in October and virtually impossible in December at the 7mo mark. February is much more doable.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

In December and October, you are generally going to be at your home resort. This isn't absolute, but you're looking at two of the busiest times of year for DVC.

1BR is typically the easiest category to get, but in October and December at 7 months they can still be a challenge for a stay without switching resorts.

The problems with Poly are that it is expensive on a cost-per-point basis (both initial buy, and annual dues, which add up over life of contract), and there are no 1BRs and will never be.

 

[CarolMN]

My advice is to buy for the long term - the resort you and your DH like the best. October & December are going to require the 11 month window most of the time and as the children age, you are not going to be all that flexible with your dates (unless you decide to home school).

Take a look at these threads to get an idea of availability at different times of the year:

drusba's post on availability

crisi's add'l comments

skier_pete's Predicted DVC booking patterns - Studios/ some 1-bedrooms

Also keep in mind that as Disney sells more points and adds more DVC resorts, the booking for the near park resorts at 7 months will become even more competitive. We don't yet know what the make up will be at the new VWL, but if it turns out to be like the POLY (no 1 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms, just studios with a few very expensive bungalows), it will become a lot more difficult to get 1 & 2 bedroom villas at the 7 month mark.

Good luck with your decision -


P.S. The DIS DVC RESOURCE CENTER has a lot of info you'll want to study before buying.

 

[disneynutz]

My advice is to try before you buy and realize that your selection isn't a life long commitment, you can sell and buy somewhere else as your situation dictates.

We enjoy owning MK area and Epcot area resorts and booking a different resort each stay or doing a split stay for our 10 night or longer vacations.

Bill

 

[constantstar]

Thank you all for this information! My heart still says Poly even though my wallet says resale. I'm considering a small 100 point Poly contract (even though there's a discount at 150 points...) and then we can add another 100 or so points at another resort via resale for when the kids get older. This would also help get my husband on board because there is less initial sticker shock. My favorite park is MK and my husband's is Epcot. I could never go to HS & AK and be okay with it. We generally do one or the other each trip so we have more MK & EP time. Now my next mission is to get my husband to commit before the 7 month window so we can get a room!

 

[southerngirl528]

Very good advice by all here, constantstar. If you love the Poly, its location and the Studios, great. But you do bring up the fact that you may want larger accommodations in the future. Since TS is a longterm commitment, I would definitely try to consider what your usage might be say, 10 years from now.

It was easy deciding which home resort for me, because there was only one when I bought. OKW. Still love it! IMHO the Poly Villas have the best Studio setup among the DVC resorts because of size, split baths, and location. But if you see yourself wanting larger accommodations down the road, I think I would pass on the Poly.

 

[constantstar]

Very good advice by all here, constantstar. If you love the Poly, its location and the Studios, great. But you do bring up the fact that you may want larger accommodations in the future. Since TS is a longterm commitment, I would definitely try to consider what your usage might be say, 10 years from now.

It was easy deciding which home resort for me, because there was only one when I bought. OKW. Still love it! IMHO the Poly Villas have the best Studio setup among the DVC resorts because of size, split baths, and location. But if you see yourself wanting larger accommodations down the road, I think I would pass on the Poly.

I don't *think* I'd mind sleeping in the same room as my kids when they get to be teens. But, I haven't been there yet so who knows. There is a murphy bed and my daughter is petite so she could use it for a while. I can always see wanting to be near MK. That's the original appeal of DVC for me and I'd hate to pass that up for a few thousand dollars over a 40 year term. If we did need larger, I feel like any of the resorts could work and we'd love to check out SSR, AKV, & OKW which show availability at 7 months normally. I would like to bring family one trip, and that's when we'd need a larger room...and more points.

 

[disneynutz]

Thank you all for this information! My heart still says Poly even though my wallet says resale. I'm considering a small 100 point Poly contract (even though there's a discount at 150 points...) and then we can add another 100 or so points at another resort via resale for when the kids get older. This would also help get my husband on board because there is less initial sticker shock. My favorite park is MK and my husband's is Epcot. I could never go to HS & AK and be okay with it. We generally do one or the other each trip so we have more MK & EP time. Now my next mission is to get my husband to commit before the 7 month window so we can get a room!

Take your heart out of the decision, have you stayed at all of the resorts? PVB gets mixed reports with room, building, noise, and other issues like slow sewer drains. We own BLT and don't care for the place, feels like we are in a hotel in Tampa, AKV another resort that we own is too remote for us and the novelty of the animals has worn off.

We love VGF and VWL as our MK area resorts and BWV as our Epcot area resort.

Bill

 

[constantstar]

Take your heart out of the decision, have you stayed at all of the resorts? PVB gets mixed reports with room, building, noise, and other issues like slow sewer drains. We own BLT and don't care for the place, feels like we are in a hotel in Tampa, AKV another resort that we own is too remote for us and the novelty of the animals has worn off.

We love VGF and VWL as our MK area resorts and BWV as our Epcot area resort.

Bill

Isn't Disney all about using your heart

I have not stayed at any deluxes But, I have eaten at many - that counts, right?! VGF is gorgeous but I feel like we'd enjoy Poly more for the price. VWL is my favorite but with the short contract, I'm hesitant to go there. The other close to MK is BLT which seems lovely but just a little too modern for me, and my husband hates it. :/ I have also heard mixed reviews about the noise level at PVB but we're up early and heavy sleepers so I feel like we'd be okay. We've been fine through cheerleading conventions at our resorts during previous stays but not sure if that is comparable. I agree about AKV being too remote. I do want to stay there for the animals one day but definitely not every year. BWV is the resort I may buy as our second package for when the kids get older. I think we'd all enjoy it.

 

[disneynutz]

Isn't Disney all about using your heart

I have not stayed at any deluxes But, I have eaten at many - that counts, right?! VGF is gorgeous but I feel like we'd enjoy Poly more for the price. VWL is my favorite but with the short contract, I'm hesitant to go there. The other close to MK is BLT which seems lovely but just a little too modern for me, and my husband hates it. :/ I have also heard mixed reviews about the noise level at PVB but we're up early and heavy sleepers so I feel like we'd be okay. We've been fine through cheerleading conventions at our resorts during previous stays but not sure if that is comparable. I agree about AKV being too remote. I do want to stay there for the animals one day but definitely not every year. BWV is the resort I may buy as our second package for when the kids get older. I think we'd all enjoy it.

Buying a timeshare is a business decision so hearts aren't allowed.

I'm confused , you say that VWL is your favorite (heart) but due to the short contract forget it, (business)?

My concern is that VWL II will screw the place up, all we can do is wait and see.

Take a look at the resort amenities, location, room sizes, categories, views, and buy. Use this resort points for a few years to stay at all of the resorts that interest you, and to learn the system, later you can sell and adjust your holdings if necessary.

Bill

 

[constantstar]

Buying a timeshare is a business decision so hearts aren't allowed.

I'm confused , you say that VWL is your favorite (heart) but due to the short contract forget it, (business)?

My concern is that VWL II will screw the place up, all we can do is wait and see.

Take a look at the resort amenities, location, room sizes, categories, views, and buy. Use this resort points for a few years to stay at all of the resorts that interest you, and to learn the system, later you can sell and adjust your holdings if necessary.

Bill

The no to VWL is me trying to keep my wallet and the business side in mind There's definitely a balance to keep between the two.
I will try as many resorts as I can in the 7 month window before buying an add on for sure.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I also say to buy for the long term rather than what works for just a few years at the start. And one thing about VWL is that while it is a shorter contract it also cost less and would be easier on the pocket book getting into if it really is your favorite. You could get around 160-170 points there for the cost of 100 at PVB. Or just spend less on 100 points there. And BWV shorter contract doesn't bother you as it's also the same length? It's still 25+ years left also. With VWL you'd get a resort that has studios-2BR's and could get more points to play around with as you investigate the other resorts. Also, 100 points at poly does not go as far as 100 points at VWL so in essence it "costs" even more than the cost per point difference and VWL also has the murphy bed in the studios for you to start out with. For example, looking at Feb dates the 100 points at PVB doesn't quite get you 5 nights in a standard view (107 points) but 102 points at VWL gets you 6 nights or at least pays for the 5 full nights plus points to bank. Then, as you try resorts with your less expensive VWL points you can decide what, if any, additional points you need. And perhaps that will then be Poly. Using poly points to stay elsewhere as you review the resorts really is paying more than necessary.

 

[constantstar]

I also say to buy for the long term rather than what works for just a few years at the start. And one thing about VWL is that while it is a shorter contract it also cost less and would be easier on the pocket book getting into if it really is your favorite. You could get around 160-170 points there for the cost of 100 at PVB. Or just spend less on 100 points there. And BWV shorter contract doesn't bother you as it's also the same length? It's still 25+ years left also. With VWL you'd get a resort that has studios-2BR's and could get more points to play around with as you investigate the other resorts. Also, 100 points at poly does not go as far as 100 points at VWL so in essence it "costs" even more than the cost per point difference and VWL also has the murphy bed in the studios for you to start out with. For example, looking at Feb dates the 100 points at PVB doesn't quite get you 5 nights in a standard view (107 points) but 102 points at VWL gets you 6 nights or at least pays for the 5 full nights plus points to bank. Then, as you try resorts with your less expensive VWL points you can decide what, if any, additional points you need. And perhaps that will then be Poly. Using poly points to stay elsewhere as you review the resorts really is paying more than necessary.

I'd forgotten about the length of the contract when mentioning BWV, oops! This is a hard decision for me. Maybe I should reconsider VWL even though the term is shorter. I've been back and forth and I'm sure I'll change my mind again tomorrow. My favorite dvc resorts in order are VWL, PVB, BLT, VGF - then it's a tie between BCV, & BWV - AKV is behind them because of location - then the tail end is SSR & OKW. This is all from looking at reviews, photos, and maps. I've never stayed at any of them and I realize doing that would change my opinions. I'm going mostly by theme followed by convenience.

PS - I <3 Corgis! We've had two, Junction (boy red & white) passed in 2010 but Hailey (girl, tricolor) is still with us. She's 10 now.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

My concern is that VWL II will screw the place up, all we can do is wait and see.

I think that's every sane person's concern about VWL right now.

My favorite dvc resorts in order are VWL, PVB, BLT, VGF - then it's a tie between BCV, & BWV - AKV is behind them because of location - then the tail end is SSR & OKW.

VGF is a resort that one mostly can book if an owner, especially on the studio front. BLT, you would want points enough for a 1BR from the start -- stuffing 4 in a studio there is not especially relaxing.

I'd recommend maybe renting into one or two resorts, as possible, as a potential split stay.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

PS - I <3 Corgis! We've had two, Junction (boy red & white) passed in 2010 but Hailey (girl, tricolor) is still with us. She's 10 now.

Corgis are just the best!!! We have 2 boys - a brindle and a blue merle. They're both getting up there now, one is turning 13 in a month and the other is 11.

 

[sunryzez]

My family has been considering DVC for a while now. We finally just went to a presentation. We really liked what we heard and were pretty sure we were going to sign for a 300 point at Poly. However, now looking at these boards I feel like there is a million things that were not properly explained to me. If Poly is my home resort does that mean it ios almost impossible to get into the other resorts because of the 7 month reservation. ( No time limits were explained to me at all during presentation) He just said you can book wherever you want based on points. Our main reason for wanting to joing DVC is we travel a lot and drop a lot of money with nothing to show for after the trip. ( But amazing memories of course) So we figured DVC made sense. So can someone please let me know the true answer? If I want to go to Aulani in June, then AK in March, and Poly in Nov will that be possible? Or will only the Poly be possible? Thanks for any and all advice...

 

[malba2366]

My family has been considering DVC for a while now. We finally just went to a presentation. We really liked what we heard and were pretty sure we were going to sign for a 300 point at Poly. However, now looking at these boards I feel like there is a million things that were not properly explained to me. If Poly is my home resort does that mean it ios almost impossible to get into the other resorts because of the 7 month reservation. ( No time limits were explained to me at all during presentation) He just said you can book wherever you want based on points. Our main reason for wanting to joing DVC is we travel a lot and drop a lot of money with nothing to show for after the trip. ( But amazing memories of course) So we figured DVC made sense. So can someone please let me know the true answer? If I want to go to Aulani in June, then AK in March, and Poly in Nov will that be possible? Or will only the Poly be possible? Thanks for any and all advice...

I also went to a DVC presentation a few months ago, and the sales people said you can basically book whatever you want at seven months. From reading on here that is not true...it seems that VGF, BLT, BWV and BCV are all difficult to get into at 7 months for many of the room categories.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If Poly is my home resort does that mean it ios almost impossible to get into the other resorts because of the 7 month reservation. ( No time limits were explained to me at all during presentation) He just said you can book wherever you want based on points.

Points... and availability. Just as you, as an owner at Poly, would have exclusivity at Poly for bookings between 11 and 7 months, so do owners at every other resort. At many times of the year, this means that when that 7 month date rolls over... no, you can't book. Because the rooms are booked by owners who got first crack.

If I want to go to Aulani in June, then AK in March, and Poly in Nov will that be possible?

For your examples, perhaps, maybe, maybe. Poly you would be booking 11 months out, but Aulani can be a difficult booking in June across many categories. AKV during March, so long as you were willing to book Savannah View, you'd have a chance.

From reading on here that is not true...it seems that VGF, BLT, BWV and BCV are all difficult to get into at 7 months for many of the room categories.

They can be. Again, you can book anywhere at 7 months... IF the room you want is available. VGF has only 47 studios, so getting a studio for more than a night or two at 7 months is rare. The lowest point rooms at any resort (standard BLT or BWV; Value at AKV) are generally challenging for 7-month bookings. BCV is generally small and generally popular for its pool.

 

[sunryzez]

Thank you, I really appreciate the info! The guy at DVC did not even mention anything about 7 or 11 month window. He literally just said you can book whatever you want , whenever you want. I am very glad I did not sign right then and there cause reading these boards he left out ALOT of information. I appreciate these boards to do the needed research. Im always going to need two studios since I am a family of 6 so it sounds like the only real guarantee would be where I specifically buy. Or I could split my 300 points into 2 150 stays to have availability at both? Does that make sense?