Close to joining/ 2 questions!

[newmommy]

Hello all,
First of all, thank you! I have found very helpful info here. We are thinking of joining DVC very soon and buying into AKV. I have some questions I hope you can help with. I said 2, but I realized I have 3...
1- How big an issue is your use month? Ours would be September at AKV, can't get it any earlier. We plan to travel mostly in August each year, so I realize Sept. use month/year isn't ideal, but is it reason to wait till next year or buy SSR instead?
2- I am a little nervous about the number of towels provided and not getting housekeeping every day. I leave the room pretty tidy, but on vacation I do like to not have to make the bed myself, worry about towels, shampoo,etc. running out. I know you can pay for housekeeping, but I'm cheap can you just call for extra towels and shampoo if you need them before day 4?
3- Partly due to #2 and also for other reasons, we plan to sometimes stay at non-dvc Disney resorts (poly, CBR, etc.). Do they limit the number of rooms that DVC members can book using points or is it just like you are any other guest trying to get into a resort?
Thanks for all of your help and sorry for being so long! Trying to make a big decision!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hello all,
First of all, thank you! I have found very helpful info here. We are thinking of joining DVC very soon and buying into AKV. I have some questions I hope you can help with. I said 2, but I realized I have 3...
1- How big an issue is your use month? Ours would be September at AKV, can't get it any earlier. We plan to travel mostly in August each year, so I realize Sept. use month/year isn't ideal, but is it reason to wait till next year or buy SSR instead?
2- I am a little nervous about the number of towels provided and not getting housekeeping every day. I leave the room pretty tidy, but on vacation I do like to not have to make the bed myself, worry about towels, shampoo,etc. running out. I know you can pay for housekeeping, but I'm cheap can you just call for extra towels and shampoo if you need them before day 4?
3- Partly due to #2 and also for other reasons, we plan to sometimes stay at non-dvc Disney resorts (poly, CBR, etc.). Do they limit the number of rooms that DVC members can book using points or is it just like you are any other guest trying to get into a resort?
Thanks for all of your help and sorry for being so long! Trying to make a big decision!

I'll take a stab at a few of these...

1) Although only important if you cancel, September would be the worst use year for August vacations. If you never cancel a trip, use year is irrelevant.
Because of banking deadlines, and other time constraints, you may lose those points if you have to cancel.

2) There is a charge for extra towels. With that said, there are washer/dryers in the 1br and larger villas. The studios have community w/d.
Many Members initially believe they will miss daily housekeeping, only to learn it is much nicer NOT to have it.

3) You can stay at non DVC resorts all you like, as long as you have enough points (or cash) to do so. The point totals for regular Disney Resorts are much higher than DVC Resorts.

I would really push your sales guide for a different use year. A use year shortly before you normally visit is best. Whether or not you purchase a different resort to get it depends on how much you are willing to gamble, and how much you like the other resort.

I wouldn't worry in the slightest about towels and housekeeping. If you really need towels, they are like 6 bucks or something like that.

Good luck with your decision!

MG

 

[newmommy]

Thanks...
I tried with the use year, I was told that since AKV won't even be open until September, it is not possible to have the use year start earlier. I can choose from September to December. I would really like August though. If anyone has heard of anyone getting August use year at AKV, please let me know!

Regarding the laundry/towels issue, we do usually do laundry anyway while at WDW. It is just easier to pack lighter and then do a load or two. I have noticed that some resorts have much better/more plentiful laundry facilities than others, though and since AKV Kidani Village does not yet exist I have no way to know how the laundry facilities will be there. We plan to stay mostly in the studio.

Thanks again. If anyone else has input, too, on their experiences, I would love to hear what you all have to say!

 

[dianeschlicht]

If I were only planning to use studios, I probably would not buy DVC. To me the real DVC experience is in the villas. That being said, ALL of the 1,2, and 3 bedroom villas have laundry facilities in them and at most of the other DVC resorts, the community laundry facilities are at all the quiet pools.

 

[tomandrobin]

I tried with the use year, I was told that since AKV won't even be open until September, it is not possible to have the use year start earlier. I can choose from September to December. I would really like August though. If anyone has heard of anyone getting August use year at AKV, please let me know!

Here is a link that shows the contracts bought by current DVC members. Yes there are August use years, push for it or talk to a manager.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1358162&page=10

Regarding the laundry/towels issue, we do usually do laundry anyway while at WDW. It is just easier to pack lighter and then do a load or two. I have noticed that some resorts have much better/more plentiful laundry facilities than others, though and since AKV Kidani Village does not yet exist I have no way to know how the laundry facilities will be there. We plan to stay mostly in the studio.

I am sure they will have a couple laundry facilities. They need to have enough to handle the number of studios in the resort. SSR has them at the pool areas, I think there are four or five.

Once you start staying in 1 or 2 bedrooms, you may end up changing your mind about the studio stays. We still use the studios for short trips, 2 or 3 days, but we like the extra space and convience of the larger units on longer visits.

Are your vacation habits set to go every August? We use to vacation mostly in the summer months, but in the last couple of years our vacation trends have changed. Now we go away in the spring, winter and fall on trips. Last year we didn't go away in the summer for vacation for the first time.

 

[4DisneyGolfnuts]

I felt like UY was the most important question for me. I knew with my schedule sometimes I may be forced to cancel on occasion. I have a UY in April, because I plan on vacationing in the summer or fall. This gives me 6 months to decide if I need to bank into next year. I honestly think it may be worth waiting if you feel strongly about it. You are talking about 45 years. That said if summer vacations are only for a few years while children are in school, it may not be a super big issue.

Good luck!

 

[vandy]

Is there another use year available that's farther out? We usually travel in June but they were pushing an August UY to us. We were able to get a December UY so now we are closer to the banking deadlines. See how much farther out they can go with the UY.

I wouldn't worry about the housekeeping and towel issue. Housekeeping can be a pain. Maybe you are unaware that the 1,2,&3BR villas have their own in-room w/d. The studios do not have a w/d but there are community ones like at the regular resorts, only these are free. Thus we do our towels as needed. Just throw them in the washer when you leave for the park in the morning. Going in August, you will probably want to come back to the villa in the heat of the day so put the towels in the dryer at that time. It's really not that bad and I don't think you will miss housekeeping at all.

 

[pilferk]

Here is a link that shows the contracts bought by current DVC members. Yes there are August use years, push for it or talk to a manager.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1358162&page=10

NEW MEMBERS, I think, are being restricted to Sept '07 UY or later. I don't think they'll cave and give an Aug, 2007 UY to a new member. BUT they may be able to get an Aug '08 UY.

 

[tomandrobin]

NEW MEMBERS, I think, are being restricted to Sept '07 UY or later. I don't think they'll cave and give an Aug, 2007 UY to a new member. BUT they may be able to get an Aug '08 UY.

There are seven August use years listed as being sold, not sure is they are 07 or 08. I would think they are 07 contracts. But I do agree that they are selling the Sept use year contracts. All the new updates have been for that use year.

 

[pilferk]

There are seven August use years listed as being sold, not sure is they are 07 or 08. I would think they are 07 contracts. But I do agree that they are selling the Sept use year contracts. All the new updates have been for that use year.

I think they were '07 contracts...but they were for existing members, not new members.

 

[fishermouse]

If your traveling in Aug. take the Dec. UY you mentioned he could get you. That will give you time to make new plans inf you have to cancell. You can probably get any month you want if you want 08 points. They will not sell anything before Sept to new members.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you need extra towels, you can always purchase an extra towel pack (four bath towels, etc) for $6. You can also get daily trash and towel service for $10 a day. That would get you extra shampoo, soap, etc. Otherwise, you'd have to bring your own or pay for those extras.

 

[MEM]

If your traveling in Aug. take the Dec. UY you mentioned he could get you. That will give you time to make new plans inf you have to cancell. You can probably get any month you want if you want 08 points. They will not sell anything before Sept to new members.

This is exactly what we did - our situation was similar to OP's and we pushed for and received a change to a December UY. We were concerned about August being a prime hurricane month.

Fishermouse? How can I get an image like yours? I have home resorts at both AKV and SSR but I am not technically savvy enough to download a combined image...it lets me do AKV or SSR but not both.