Considering DVC - Looking for Advice

[MinnesoTristan]

A little bit about me:
-Recently sold my house, which allowed me to pay off my auto loan, student loans, and all credit card balances, with $6K left over to put into savings.
-Recently accepted a new position with significantly higher earnings.
-Parents will be retiring this year, and sister had a baby this year.
-Have visited Disney World four times and Disneyland twice since 2013, staying a week each trip.
I’ve done a decent amount of research, just like when I bought my first house, so I feel like I have a decent idea of what a good contract looks like. I watch the DIS Unplugged DVC Show and read the DISboards, and I decided it was time to create a post and ask for community opinions.
I made a spreadsheet based on dues, contract dates, point charts, and prices, and determined that Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, and Boardwalk Villas seem to be the most economical options. There seems to be no shortage of SSR contracts available, and I have text alerts for BWV since those seem to be more rare, and that’s where I would buy where I want to stay. I’m also looking to pay cash, even if it means holding out longer to save for the contract I want. I’m in the planning stage, and don’t anticipate any trips in 2020.
Lastly, my preferred use year would be September, followed by October and December.
My questions for the community are, do you see any flaws or red flags in my reasoning? As an experienced owner, what advice would you share based on the above? I’m happy to answer any questions if you need more information to make a suggestion.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

BWV expires in 2042. Is your economy calculation based on booking BWV Standard units (in other words, looking at number of points required for a stay)? If so, know that they can be very difficult to book even at 11 months, especially in fall. You should not buy BWV assuming regularly booking a Standard Studio, especially for fall.

Generally, on price per point vs. expiration, BWV is not a good value, even in resale. The 2042 resorts have a short contract which makes the capital investment shorter term.

 

[Sandisw]

Sounds like a good plan. Buying where you want to be is a good thing.

One thing I will mention about BWV, SV studios are very difficult to get even for owners, especially if your travel from mid September through January.

Plan to stay in garden view and consider SV a bonus,

 

[Cody2020]

How many points are you thinking of buying?

 

[MinnesoTristan]

I was shooting for 100 points, although it sounds like 100 points would go further at SSR than BWV if studios are hard to get. I wouldn’t mind staying at SSR since it’s close to Disney Springs (with its bus service to other resorts for resort hopping).

 

[macman123]

Best economical resort - this is worth a read - very interesting:

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resort-to-purchase-spring-2020/

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are planning on treating family to stays, be aware that they may not understand all the rules and could very easily cancel on you leaving you with more space that you need by yourself.

OKW has two end points, Jan 31, 2042 and Jan 31, 2057. You may want to look for 2057 end point as that will give you longer to use those points. BWV also has the Jan 31, 2042 end point.

It can be hard to book DL Resort on WDW points. If you plan on going to DLR more than you plan on going to WDW, you may want to buy GCV.

 

[macman123]

It can be hard to book DL Resort on WDW points. If you plan on going to DLR more than you plan on going to WDW, you may want to buy GCV.

Is that because of the 7 month rule and the limited resort options?

 

[Lumpy1106]

As long as you are happy staying at SSR - go for it. Don't expect to get BWV at 7 months. It will likely be unavailable or only available with a preferred view costing more points. Just be aware.

Also, you said you have your use year narrowed down. I'd suggest sharing your reasoning with the group so you can get a full understanding of the ramifications. This whole COVID thing really opened my eyes to the importance of UY. I got dang lucky the UY I bought works so well with our typical stay, and the ability to bank at the last minute if the trip is cancelled beyond my control.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Is that because of the 7 month rule and the limited resort options?

There are only 23 dedicated two bedroom villas, 23 lockoff two bedroom villas (meaning 23 studios and 23 one bedrooms that connect) and two grand villas. It is currently the only DVC resort at DLR.

 

[JennP78]

BWV expires in 2042. Is your economy calculation based on booking BWV Standard units (in other words, looking at number of points required for a stay)? If so, know that they can be very difficult to book even at 11 months, especially in fall. You should not buy BWV assuming regularly booking a Standard Studio, especially for fall.

Generally, on price per point vs. expiration, BWV is not a good value, even in resale. The 2042 resorts have a short contract which makes the capital investment shorter term.

I've seen people say this several times (about BWV.) This may be a silly question but if studios are hard to get at 11 months for owners then who on earth is getting them? Wouldn't they have first dibs on inventory?

Sorry for the diversion, OP.

 

[Sandisw]

I've seen people say this several times (about BWV.) This may be a silly question but if studios are hard to get at 11 months for owners then who on earth is getting them? Wouldn't they have first dibs on inventory?

Sorry for the diversion, OP.

Yes, owners are getting them. More owners want them then there are available so many owners get shut out, especially SV.

I got shut out for the past several years during food and wine.

 

[JennP78]

Yes, owners are getting them. More owners want them then there are available so many owners get shut out, especially SV.

I got shut out for the past several years during food and wine.

Thanks for your response. I would have thought there wouldn't be that many more owners than units available (you would think DVC would have managed that better when deciding on how many contracts to sell) but maybe it's just the desirability of the studios.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Thanks for your response. I would have thought there wouldn't be that many more owners than units available (you would think DVC would have managed that better when deciding on how many contracts to sell) but maybe it's just the desirability of the studios.

DVC sells the resort points to fill every unit, 365 days per year. However, some units and seasons have higher demand than others.

This is an issue with a points based timeshare. You don't have a specific unit in a specific timespan. Which means many owners can be competing for a unit at a specific date.

 

[MinnesoTristan]

Also, you said you have your use year narrowed down. I'd suggest sharing your reasoning with the group so you can get a full understanding of the ramifications. This whole COVID thing really opened my eyes to the importance of UY. I got dang lucky the UY I bought works so well with our typical stay, and the ability to bank at the last minute if the trip is cancelled beyond my control.

This is all very helpful information and I really appreciate it. I did see the article on economical resorts, and would absolutely love the Poly, but it would require more savings as it has higher point charts and point prices. Same is true for BWV if studios are hard to get.
To answer your question about use year, of the past six trips since 2013, two were in September (2016 and 2018, DLR), two were in November (2013 and 2014, WDW), and two were in January (2017 and 2019, WDW). Based on these times, I think a September use year would be the best fit, followed by October, and then December.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I've seen people say this several times (about BWV.) This may be a silly question but if studios are hard to get at 11 months for owners then who on earth is getting them? Wouldn't they have first dibs on inventory?

Sorry for the diversion, OP.

In the first years of DVC, owners booked their home resort at 11 months out from their check out day. To make sure they got their stay, owners would book single night stays starting on the first day after check in (11 months out). They would need to call to do this because there wasn't any online reservation system. They would tell MS each morning they called that they were adding to their first night (continuing reservation) until they got all of their nights. No one could book a night before them unless they talked to MS right before them on the same morning. The number of people booking was limited to the number of MS staff monitoring phone calls. For popular times, you might be waiting to make your reservation until another CM became available.

Then about 2005 or so (not real sure on the exact date), DVC allowed members to book their stay based on check in day for up to seven nights (eight days). In this case, if someone called the morning before you because they were checking in the day before you, they might have booked the last studio in the same resort you were planning on booking for a seven night stay. Plus with on line booking, many members could be booking their stay at the same time at 8AM ET until the computer system was maxed out.

In addition, people have gotten saavy about renting points at 11 months out to get those studios for the cheapest deluxe stay they can get. That, too, might change with the issues arising with the resorts being shut down during the COVID-19 period and people avoid problems by not renting points.

 

[AdamsMum]

I've seen people say this several times (about BWV.) This may be a silly question but if studios are hard to get at 11 months for owners then who on earth is getting them? Wouldn't they have first dibs on inventory?

Sorry for the diversion, OP.

I've not had trouble getting studios at 11 months. Standard view studios have significantly lower point values than preferred view, or boardwalk view. Standards are difficult because of the number of people walking reservations. These days I book boardwalk view, and if I'm booking at 11 months out, no problem. The only time I wasn't able to get what I wanted was for early December, my manager would not approve my vacation 11 months out, so at 10 months out I went ahead and booked. I was able to get a beach club studio for half the week (with Beach Club points), and I had to spend the extra points on a 1 bedroom boardwalk view for the other half. I always book 11 months out and I prefer studios as I usually travel alone (although I resent the points for the "preferred" view). I've been an owner since 2007 and have been to F&W twice, early December twice. The one trip mentioned above was the only time I've been shut out of studios.

 

[Lumpy1106]

This is all very helpful information and I really appreciate it. I did see the article on economical resorts, and would absolutely love the Poly, but it would require more savings as it has higher point charts and point prices. Same is true for BWV if studios are hard to get.
To answer your question about use year, of the past six trips since 2013, two were in September (2016 and 2018, DLR), two were in November (2013 and 2014, WDW), and two were in January (2017 and 2019, WDW). Based on these times, I think a September use year would be the best fit, followed by October, and then December.

Sounds good for your situation. You have to bank four months before your UY so that gives you plenty of cushion. My usual trip ins August so Sept would be really bad for me, especially considering the COVID closures. I would have needed to bank by May and the situation is much too fluid right now. My UY id Feb so I need to bank by October - no problem there if my trip gets cancelled.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

To answer your question about use year, of the past six trips since 2013, two were in September (2016 and 2018, DLR), two were in November (2013 and 2014, WDW), and two were in January (2017 and 2019, WDW). Based on these times, I think a September use year would be the best fit, followed by October, and then December.

So, you want a UY where you will be visiting on the front end of the UY, if possible or reasonable based on travel patterns. October and December are basically the worst UYs possible for a September trip. December is pretty terrible for an October or November trip.

The UYs you list are best for a December, January or February trip, but only the September UY is any good for a September trip. December is the worst for November. If you are really looking at October-January trips, you're better off with June, August and September, with a bias towards August and September.

 

[MinnesoTristan]

That makes sense, I was definitely understanding it backwards. So much to learn!