COnsidering DVC

[jbgdvm]

First of all, I'd like to say that that this website is an awesome source of information. Thanks to all who contribute!

I've just returned from a 9 day stay at the AKL and loved it! This was my first time staying at a Disney Resort. I am considering buying into the DVC but have a few questions that I can't seem to find the answers to.



1. I see that many people have ownerships at several resorts. I assume the reason for this is that is allows one to book at the 11 month window at several resorts, thus guaranteeing one their first choice of reservation dates. Is this the only advantage to purchasing points at several resorts?

2. If I buy points at 2 different resorts (ie. 160 AKV and 160 SSR), can I use all points at one resort (ie. all 320 at SSR) when the 11 month booking window comes up or am I restricted to only using the 160?

3. How difficult is to reserve dates at another resort at the 7 month booking window? I am concerned that it may be difficult to get my desired dates because all rooms will be booked by the "home resort" members.

4. Has anyone used there points for II? I realize that this is not an economical use of points based on several posts, but I would like to know how difficult it is do.

5. Is there a better month to have as my Use Year month? I'm pretty flexible with travelling dates right now, but after my daughter (18 months old) starts school, my travel dates will not be as flexible.

I'm sure I'll have more questions as I read through the post. I appreciate any input or advice you can give me. Oh, if there are any links/discussions that a newbie should read, please let me know. Thanks!!

 

[Chuck S]

1) Basically, yes, it is to allow the 11 month booking window.

2) No, the window is only good for the number of points owned at that resort, for insyance if you owned 50 points at OKW and 50 points at AKV, you could book 50 points worth of rooms at OKW during the 11 month window, and 50 points worth at AKV, they can not be combined for booking until the 7 month mark.

3) It varies by season and resort. SSR and OKW are relatively easy to book at 7 months becuase htey are large resorts, that may be true of AKV as well, as it will be a large resort when completed. BWV and BCV always book up for Food and Wine fest at EPCOT, and Christmas/New Years are always hard to get anywhere. VWL can also be difficult because is it the smallest onsite DVC.

4) II isn't the worst use of points, its OK for an occasional vacation. Cruises and and other Disney Collection/Buena Vista Trading/Adventures by Disney/Concierge Collections are generally the worst for point value.

5) It really depends upon your normal travel schedule. For instance, if you'll usually travel in June or July, a June use year may be good for you because of the banking window in case you need to cancel a reservation. But use year has no affect as far as booking windows, only banking windows.

Welcome to the DIS and DVC Boards.

 

[chalee94]

1. I see that many people have ownerships at several resorts. I assume the reason for this is that is allows one to book at the 11 month window at several resorts, thus guaranteeing one their first choice of reservation dates. Is this the only advantage to purchasing points at several resorts?

yes. (along with cheaper dues in some cases but the 11 month advantage is the big one.)

BUT keep in mind that you ONLY get the 11 month advantage for the points from THAT home resort's contract. if i own 200 pts at OKW and buy a 25 pt contract at BCV, i can only book BCV at 11 months with BCV pts, not OKW pts.

3. How difficult is to reserve dates at another resort at the 7 month booking window? I am concerned that it may be difficult to get my desired dates because all rooms will be booked by the "home resort" members.

it varies. some have no trouble doing it. the general advice is "buy where you want to stay!" (if you hate the idea of getting "stuck" at SSR, it would be unwise to buy there.)


5. Is there a better month to have as my Use Year month? I'm pretty flexible with travelling dates right now, but after my daughter (18 months old) starts school, my travel dates will not be as flexible.

if you will typically travel in the summer, buy a use year month prior to the summer. if you typically travel in nov/dec, then look for a sept/oct use year month. it's only a factor if you have to cancel - a good use year month may allow you more flexibility.

 

[chalee94]

oh, and

definitely scan through old threads on the DIS (DVC forums in particular) and learn to use the search function as there is a lot that can be learned here.

 

[jbgdvm]

Thanks for the quick responses. One more question for those who have points at more than one resort. How many points do you have at each resort? Seems like it could be pretty expensive if you purchased the 160 points per resort minimum through Disney.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Once you own DVC then you cn add on as little as 25 points and cannot be financed 50 points and up is what you can finace.But the 160 is just the minimum for DVC to get in, Unless you buy reslae then you can get smaller amounts.

Thanks for the quick responses. One more question for those who have points at more than one resort. How many points do you have at each resort? Seems like it could be pretty expensive if you purchased the 160 points per resort minimum through Disney.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks for the quick responses. One more question for those who have points at more than one resort. How many points do you have at each resort? Seems like it could be pretty expensive if you purchased the 160 points per resort minimum through Disney.

We actually own two contracts at the same resort (230 points and 150 points both at OKW), and then a smaller contract of 69 points at AKV. The reasoning there is that we can use the bulk of our points at the 11 month booking window at OKW, but every 3rd year, we have 207 points available at AKV for the 11 month booking window. You can bank one year into the next, and in that next year, you can borrow from the following year, giving you 3 years worth of points available at one time.

 

[wildernessDad]

I've just returned from a 9 day stay at the AKL and loved it! This was my first time staying at a Disney Resort.

Do you plan on going to WDW every year or every other year and staying in a WDW deluxe or moderate resort? I only ask this since you said that this was your first time staying at a Disney resort.

If your answer is yes to the above question, then I believe that DVC is right for you.

 

[jbgdvm]

I would be going at least once a year and definitely be staying in a deluxe resort. Thanks again for your responses!

 

[ByWm]

A few thoughts:

DVC works best if you plan to use your points at Disney and visit there at least every three years. Every year or two works even better.

DVC works best for those who are able to plan several months ahead as opposed to those who decide to travel on short notice. You are very unlikely to be able to reserve a stay of several days within the next month or so.

I believe it is best to select a use year so that the maximum number of your trips will be made in the first 8 months of the year. If you make a reservation for the last 4 months of your year and then have to cancel during that period, it will be too late to bank those points into the next year.

Hope this helps.
ByWm

 

[Anal Annie]

Another reason for multiple contracts (even at the same resort) is for the re-sell factor. If you need to sell you have to sell the way you purchased them (in whole contracts). You can't say "Oh I have 300 points and only need 225" and then just sell the unwanted 75 points. You would have to sell the whole 300 point contract. We were unsure how many points we would really want / need as our needs and vacation habits changed. But we were able to get in at SSR under last years "Friends & Family" promotion so the cost per point was a substantial difference - so we wanted to purchase all that we could at that price. We decided to purchase a main contract of 200 points which we figured would be a minimum that we would use over the long term and then we did a smaller contract of 50 points at the same time figuring if we ever needed to sell or if we had too many points we could just sell the smaller contract. Smaller contracts are very attactive on the re-sell market for people looking to add-on because they didn't buy enough to start with.

Some people also purchase multiple contracts so they can leave them to their children (3 children = 3 contracts).

 

[kam0202]

Just purchased DVC last month and booked 2 bdrms in May at HH then VWL (10 nights total). However, had to be flexible on the dates! If you are more flexible on the resort, you'll likely get your desired date.