Considering buying in

[Dean]

I understand and agree, i am one who always says most issues are the buyer not knowing what they are buying. With that said I think that as 7 month window becomes more challenging and if buyers primary vacation is Florida, the chance for misrepresentation grows.

Not spelling out the negatives is not misrepresentation. As long as the sales staff is technically correct, the rest is on the buyer IMO. They should not have to discuss how difficult a given option is to get and frankly, they usually don't know. From a usage standpoint I think most guides really don't know and believe much of the hype related to RCI, the 7 month window and the like. As for the 7 month window, it's my belief DVC has had it too easy in this regard compared to timeshare expectations and that the current situation is just getting to where one should have expected it to be all along. That said, one who plans accordingly and uses the wait list can often be successful for almost anything.

 

[pmaurer74]

there are books out there on information on buying a DVC. They are easy to read and helpful.

 

[djohn06]

So I am considering buying into DVC - I've looked at it for almost 20 years, and thought about it, but never been in a position financially. Now I think I can manage it, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by the options.

I'm in my mid-30's, dating someone who also enjoys Disney. I have a 2.5 year old niece. I usually visit Disney every 2-3 years for 2 weeks at a time. I usually go during free dining, but could easily get away eating less than I do with that plan. I'd love to stay at some of the nicer resorts ,but can't afford their usual rates, and I think DVC would help with that.

Buying direct vs. resale - I can't figure out which is better for me.

Kudos for having the foresight to want to buy DVC as a teenager. Parents raised you right

When I joined, I knew direct was much more than I ever would spend, so I knew resale would be my only option. I looked at resorts that would provide me the best bang for my buck, and that I thought I would enjoy. I say thought because many people really do not know which resort they would enjoy the most/best until they actually experience a variety of them.

If you like,or do not mind staying at SSR or AKV I would Start there as you can buy 50 to 75 percent more points via resale vs monorail or Epcot resorts. Plus both SSR and AKV have value and standard categories that let you stretch points (SSR will begin in 2017 with a standard room). Also, if you travel during non DVC busy times, you should have no problem landing a BWV, BLT or Poly room at 7 months.

Good Luck!

 

[kniquy]

I recently closed on our first AKV contract. We bought a resale contract that would afford us to go every 2-3 years as well for my family of 5. We only bought 120 points, but we could use either 240 points every 2 years or 360 points every 3 years (banking and borrowing) depending on when and how often we will travel. Figure out your time frame you would like to travel and look at points charts so see how much it would "cost" to go. Figure out your budget and stick with it. Pay out of pocket for your contract. If you have to get a loan, it is generally not a wise choice for a luxury item. Your yearly maintenance fees will increase on average 3% but could be as much as 15% (per DVC). Your MF can be paid off in one lump sum in January or monthly. Many people save on their maintenance fees by buying discount Disney gift cards -- there is a whole thread on how to do that. I was so happy to find it, because essentially even if the MF increase i can off set the increase by savings on gift cards.

After reading so much about having to be on the computer AT 8AM sharp for 7 month booking I was worried that we would not be able to enjoy other resorts. I just recently received my member number and access to the DVC website. Just for ha ha's i looked at the possibility of piecing together a trip in the time frames that we would likely travel, which is during our kids school vacations. 2 months out - looking at February we would be able to piece a trip together with a lot of moving around (2 days here and there). Then i looked at 4 months out - April we could do it with a couple of split stays and I also looked at May 5 months out -which had some full availability and could also be done with split stays. looking at 7 months (July) out there was quite a bit of full availability at various resorts. Of course the time of year makes a huge difference. We would never travel in the summer months due to the heat and humidity. These were looking at mainly 1BR or 2 BR for our family of 5. I hear that studios are difficult to get and for some reason 1BR are easier to find.

If you are flexible with your travel dates you can definitely stay at a variety of resorts. The busier times for DVC -from what i have read -sounds like it is between September(when food and wine starts) all the way through December NYE.

We decided to buy where we didn't mind staying. We stayed at SSR and really did not care for the feel of the resort. It wasnt worth the minimal maintenance fee savings to have to stay there. Take into consideration your age and the expiration of the contract.

AKV - Jan. 31, 2057
BCV - Jan. 31, 2042
BWV - Jan. 31, 2042
BLT - Jan. 31, 2060
HHI - Jan. 31, 2042
OKW - January 31, 2042 OR January 31, 2057
SSR - January 31, 2054
VB - Jan. 31, 2042
WL - Jan. 31, 2042

The ones ending in 2042 were not of much interest to me because some were actually more expensive than AKV and they ended earlier.

This is a very exciting time and if you do visit often it will save you money in the long run. They say your membership will break even in 5-7 years. I can totally see how that could happen. We paid about $9600 for our 120 point contract. Our first trip we plan on doing will be a 2BR (banking and borrowing points) for a week at AKV -- the rack rate for that room is a bit over $7000. Add another trip and we will have broken even.

It sounds you are a Disney fanatic and if many more years of trips are planned especially when kids come into the picture -- a DVC purchase will pay for itself. Good luck!!

 

[supersnoop]

I'm not a fan of buying AKV because of the high dues and the fact that rooms are frequently available. There's no real advantage to owning AKV unless you're always booking "Value" or "Club" rooms.

 

[Dean]

I'm not a fan of buying AKV because of the high dues and the fact that rooms are frequently available. There's no real advantage to owning AKV unless you're always booking "Value" or "Club" rooms.

From a $$$ standpoint it only makes sense if one plans to use the value rooms at least 2/3 of the time, that's the rough break even point between buying SSR for standard view at AKV and AKV for value. And even that assumes you'll never get value at the 7 month window or later, also unrealistic if one makes the effort and uses the wait list. $$$ wise there is no other scenario where the numbers work for buying AKV. And even that assumes the dues remain proportional which personally I think is a bit optimistic. Now there are obviously other considerations like reserving at 11 months out, concierge, Savannah view and the like. These are all personal choices that we can't really quantify. Now if AKV becomes cheaper than SSR or there are other changes in the future, this may swing the choices. I'm a big believer in hoping for the best and planning for the worst. Assuming the parks don't close or some other life altering catastrophe, I don't see any reasonable events that would alter this recommendation. I don't see that DVC has the right to limit access from other resorts other than to change the home resort priority including related to resale limitations assuming a given resort remains in the club. I don't think spending more for future worries makes sense in this scenario including the possibility that AKV may become more difficult to book in the future.

 

[kniquy]

I'm not a fan of buying AKV because of the high dues and the fact that rooms are frequently available. There's no real advantage to owning AKV unless you're always booking "Value" or "Club" rooms.

To say that AKV doens't makes sense simply because of the dues is not necessarily correct. There are many factors that one looking to buy in has to consider.

The difference in MF compared to what i pay for AKV vs some of the others is really minimal (this is based on my small contract of 120 pts, obviously a bigger contract would see a larger difference). Most were a difference of $30 +/-. The only big difference is between BLT and SSR - both of which i would rather not stay at, so I looked at the bigger picture than simply MF when deciding on a resort.

The factors I considered were-
1. How many points i needed to stay in the room we needed - I knew i needed about 125 points to use every 2-3 years, 2. where i didn't mind staying - SSR was out for me -- it is a bit lack luster even if it is the best deal out there.
3. the cost per point - I was paying cash so the total cost of contract was a big determining factor -I had to stick to a tight budget at roughly 80pp that i paid it was less than most of the resorts, yet i will still be able to stay at most if not all of the resorts. I tried to get the best bang for my buck for the resort i didn't mind staying at.
4. time remaining on the contract was important to me (this eliminated any that were ending in 2042). We may not keep it til the end but at least we know we have 40 years vs 25 years left on the contract - at some point the resale prices for the 2042 contracts will begin to drop with little remaining time.

Hopefully the OP has learned a lot from the various points of view posted in this thread.

 

[supersnoop]

To say that AKV doens't makes sense simply because of the dues is not necessarily correct. There are many factors that one looking to buy in has to consider.

The difference in MF compared to what i pay for AKV vs some of the others is really minimal (this is based on my small contract of 120 pts, obviously a bigger contract would see a larger difference). Most were a difference of $30 +/-. The only big difference is between BLT and SSR - both of which i would rather not stay at, so I looked at the bigger picture than simply MF when deciding on a resort.

The factors I considered were-
1. How many points i needed to stay in the room we needed - I knew i needed about 125 points to use every 2-3 years, 2. where i didn't mind staying - SSR was out for me -- it is a bit lack luster even if it is the best deal out there.
3. the cost per point - I was paying cash so the total cost of contract was a big determining factor -I had to stick to a tight budget at roughly 80pp that i paid it was less than most of the resorts, yet i will still be able to stay at most if not all of the resorts. I tried to get the best bang for my buck for the resort i didn't mind staying at.
4. time remaining on the contract was important to me (this eliminated any that were ending in 2042). We may not keep it til the end but at least we know we have 40 years vs 25 years left on the contract - at some point the resale prices for the 2042 contracts will begin to drop with little remaining time.

Hopefully the OP has learned a lot from the various points of view posted in this thread.

The fact of the matter is that you can get a standard or savanna view room at AKV at 7 months no matter where you own. Right now, there's not a single night unavailable beyond 5 months out at Kidani. Buying SSR instead of AKV would have saved you roughly $1,200 up front and $120/year and you'd be able to book the exact same rooms. You would lose three years (2054 v. 2057).

The up front price gap between SSR and AKV has closed dramatically over the past year, which gives AKV some additional value thanks to the extra three years. But, unless you plan to book value or club rooms on a regular basis, you can get the exact same thing for less.

 

[djohn06]

From a $$$ standpoint it only makes sense if one plans to use the value rooms at least 2/3 of the time, that's the rough break even point between buying SSR for standard view at AKV and AKV for value. And even that assumes you'll never get value at the 7 month window or later, also unrealistic if one makes the effort and uses the wait list. $$$ wise there is no other scenario where the numbers work for buying AKV. And even that assumes the dues remain proportional which personally I think is a bit optimistic. Now there are obviously other considerations like reserving at 11 months out, concierge, Savannah view and the like. These are all personal choices that we can't really quantify. Now if AKV becomes cheaper than SSR or there are other changes in the future, this may swing the choices. I'm a big believer in hoping for the best and planning for the worst. Assuming the parks don't close or some other life altering catastrophe, I don't see any reasonable events that would alter this recommendation. I don't see that DVC has the right to limit access from other resorts other than to change the home resort priority including related to resale limitations assuming a given resort remains in the club. I don't think spending more for future worries makes sense in this scenario including the possibility that AKV may become more difficult to book in the future.

All good points from a $$$ perspective. I agree that you probably need to book value 2/3 of the time for AKV to be cheaper than SSR booking AKV standard.

But, when you don't like something. You don't like something. Op isn't interested in buying something they don't like to trade into AKV. While the $$$ is important, there is a certain level of satisfaction felt when you book what you want at 11 mo. vs. fighting with the masses at 7. Kind of like paying extra for legroom on a plane, or paying a $100 yearly fee on a credit card so that you can take check your bags "free" and board in a better zone. I would mention too, that if someone absolutely wants to stay at Jaambo vs Kidani, and you travel during peak DVC times, I would buy AKV. Jaambo is getting harder to snag inside 7. Once night hours pick up and Avatarland opens at AK, I definitely see an uptick at AKV, especially Jaambo since it is a lot smaller.

 

[Dean]

To say that AKV doens't makes sense simply because of the dues is not necessarily correct. There are many factors that one looking to buy in has to consider.

The difference in MF compared to what i pay for AKV vs some of the others is really minimal (this is based on my small contract of 120 pts, obviously a bigger contract would see a larger difference). Most were a difference of $30 +/-. The only big difference is between BLT and SSR - both of which i would rather not stay at, so I looked at the bigger picture than simply MF when deciding on a resort.

The factors I considered were-
1. How many points i needed to stay in the room we needed - I knew i needed about 125 points to use every 2-3 years, 2. where i didn't mind staying - SSR was out for me -- it is a bit lack luster even if it is the best deal out there.
3. the cost per point - I was paying cash so the total cost of contract was a big determining factor -I had to stick to a tight budget at roughly 80pp that i paid it was less than most of the resorts, yet i will still be able to stay at most if not all of the resorts. I tried to get the best bang for my buck for the resort i didn't mind staying at.
4. time remaining on the contract was important to me (this eliminated any that were ending in 2042). We may not keep it til the end but at least we know we have 40 years vs 25 years left on the contract - at some point the resale prices for the 2042 contracts will begin to drop with little remaining time.

Hopefully the OP has learned a lot from the various points of view posted in this thread.

The last time I did the numbers AKV was around 20% more when you consider the long term and dues with inflationary adjustments for the same number of points. I think I used 4% for both but I could have used 3.5%. It will vary with buy in price for each. From a numbers standpoint the only way to make AKV work is by buying less points to use for value.

 

[Dean]

All good points from a $$$ perspective. I agree that you probably need to book value 2/3 of the time for AKV to be cheaper than SSR booking AKV standard.

But, when you don't like something. You don't like something. Op isn't interested in buying something they don't like to trade into AKV. While the $$$ is important, there is a certain level of satisfaction felt when you book what you want at 11 mo. vs. fighting with the masses at 7. Kind of like paying extra for legroom on a plane, or paying a $100 yearly fee on a credit card so that you can take check your bags "free" and board in a better zone. I would mention too, that if someone absolutely wants to stay at Jaambo vs Kidani, and you travel during peak DVC times, I would buy AKV. Jaambo is getting harder to snag inside 7. Once night hours pick up and Avatarland opens at AK, I definitely see an uptick at AKV, especially Jaambo since it is a lot smaller.

In general I take the stance of buying the cheapest option that will satisfy one's needs and wants, BLT is likely the next best option in that regard for many when one also considers the future value. However, I tend to believe that someone who wants in the system to try different things can own at SSR and never stay there, esp for AKV no matter when they plan to travel but I agree that being unhappy staying at SSR would lessen the value of SSR somewhat. I'm also of the opinion that no new buyer who isn't already experienced with DVC will truly know what they want. Basically this is only for second generation or others who have been around DVC but haven't actually owned. I'd prefer to own SSR and be less than satisfied than say OKW, HH, VB or AKV. I doubt the changes at AK will have any impact on demand at AKV, actually I'm quite sure it won't have enough impact to matter.

 

[djohn06]

The fact of the matter is that you can get a standard or savanna view room at AKV at 7 months no matter where you own. Right now, there's not a single night unavailable beyond 5 months out at Kidani. Buying SSR instead of AKV would have saved you roughly $1,200 up front and $120/year and you'd be able to book the exact same rooms. You would lose three years (2054 v. 2057).

The up front price gap between SSR and AKV has closed dramatically over the past year, which gives AKV some additional value thanks to the extra three years. But, unless you plan to book value or club rooms on a regular basis, you can get the exact same thing for less.

In all fairness, you are checking slow season too. Key word is Kidani. Jaambo is getting harder to book. Amongst AKV lovers there is almost a 50/50 split on which is better.

The new AK late night park hours will be a game changer. I wouldn't make decisions today based on previous year's experience. I would gladly snag the specialized categories on 2/3 of my trips and have the best of both worlds (a place I like and saving $).

 

[djohn06]

In general I take the stance of buying the cheapest option that will satisfy one's needs and wants, BLT is likely the next best option in that regard for many when one also considers the future value. However, I tend to believe that someone who wants in the system to try different things can own at SSR and never stay there, esp for AKV no matter when they plan to travel but I agree that being unhappy staying at SSR would lessen the value of SSR somewhat. I'm also of the opinion that no new buyer who isn't already experienced with DVC will truly know what they want. Basically this is only for second generation or others who have been around DVC but haven't actually owned. I'd prefer to own SSR and be less than satisfied than say OKW, HH, VB or AKV. I doubt the changes at AK will have any impact on demand at AKV, actually I'm quite sure it won't have enough impact to matter.

You had me until you said no impact on AKV. Let me see, a 5 min bus ride or 15-20 min bus ride from any other DVC resort not named AKV. I will take the 5 min ride.

Disney is pouring half a Billion $$ into this project, adding an e ticket ride, another ride, and will extend night time hours including live entertainment using the Cirque Du Soliel model and you believe it will have no impact on the closest resort to the park?

This is a little bit bigger than the new fantasy land or even toy story land for that matter. There will be a series of 3 Avatar films to follow.

All DVC'ers will check this out. I would imagine many DVC owners value their time and would want to be closer to the action by staying at AKV (especially those with smaller kids). Many like AKV, but think it's off the beaten path. This will give many a reason to stay at AKV and enjoy the 5 min bus ride back to the resort during nap time.

 

[djohn06]

The last time I did the numbers AKV was around 20% more when you consider the long term and dues with inflationary adjustments for the same number of points. I think I used 4% for both but I could have used 3.5%. It will vary with buy in price for each. From a numbers standpoint the only way to make AKV work is by buying less points to use for value.

I think many would buy less points, or buy the same amount as SSR and a small amount of people factor in renting excess points in years where a value room is grabbed vs a standard room.

Also, does your model factor in the 3 extra years of AKV usage?

 

[Dean]

You had me until you said no impact on AKV. Let me see, a 5 min bus ride or 15-20 min bus ride from any other DVC resort not named AKV. I will take the 5 min ride.

Disney is pouring half a Billion $$ into this project, adding an e ticket ride, another ride, and will extend night time hours including live entertainment using the Cirque Du Soliel model and you believe it will have no impact on the closest resort to the park?

This is a little bit bigger than the new fantasy land or even toy story land for that matter. There will be a series of 3 Avatar films to follow.

All DVC'ers will check this out. I would imagine many DVC owners value their time and would want to be closer to the action by staying at AKV (especially those with smaller kids). Many like AKV, but think it's off the beaten path. This will give many a reason to stay at AKV and enjoy the 5 min bus ride back to the resort during nap time.

I truly doubt it'll make any long term difference. There's really no big advantage to staying AKV vs others for AK park. If there were direct access, I'd feel otherwise. Keep in mind some of my points are there at AKV but that's another discussion. We'll see but it'll take a few years. I would think a minor uptick for a couple of years not unlikely but after that not much.

I think many would buy less points, or buy the same amount as SSR and a small amount of people factor in renting excess points in years where a value room is grabbed vs a standard room.

Also, does your model factor in the 3 extra years of AKV usage?

As I've said before, I don't factor in a few years extension, I think the difference is minimal and truthfully, I see as much negative as positive on the the back end of ownership. I also look at return of principle over 10 years rather than the life of the contract. As for how many people would buy, I'm sure there would be some of each but to see the savings of value, one needs to both use the value option much of the time and buy less points proportionately. My observation is that in general most just buy the same amount of points, don't use mostly for value and pay more long term even those who go in planning to do so. Obviously there are other factors including contact size as I'm also negative to smaller contracts and generally recommend people not go under a full size contract of 150 or greater in most situations.