Considering DVC

[torian]

I just came back from a lovely 7 day cruise with DCL. I went to their info session on board and my desire to buy in has been re-ignited

Here's our story: we've been to Disney 3 times as a family since 2009. (I went as a kid couple of times, but we stayed off-site). All three recent visits were onsite; Poly, WL, YC. We like the deluxe resorts

I know that DVC does not have mousekeeping. I like that

I've been to 4 info sessions. After each one, I notice more about what the Disney salesperson DOESN'T say to make purchasing thru themm sound more appealing. I've visited the main office @ SSR twice. I've resort "shopped" all the DVC resorts during our visits to get a feel for each one. I have no pref for any and can see myself staying at all of them eventually. We typically visit in early december (DVC busy!) and April, but are at a point now in our lives when we're getting a lot more flexible with dates. I can plan out in advance - I'm all about delayed gratification!

It's me and my two teen aged kids. I keep expecting them to grow tired of disney, but they don't. They share their mother's love for the place.

We've done the park commando trips. I see our future trips as more relaxing, more resort and pool time, with less park time. We've done all of disney's dining.

I refuse to spend double pp going thru disney. I like them, but not that much! I would never use my points for ABD or DCL or RCI, so the premium of a retail purchase is lost on me. A bunch of our newly met friends on our cruise bought on the ship and I could not believe they were willing to spend 155 pp. All but one financed. That scares the crap out of me. I have no consumer debt, and don't wish to.

I'm looking at SSR. In my research, it seems to be the best overall deal. MF are lower (and this is my main concern, because it's not the initial price, but the years of increasing MFs that I want to focus my attention on. I can pay cash for a small (approx 100 point contract - maybe a bit more so we can secure a 1 bedroom every other year). Our vacation habits are around once every year and a half.

I'm a Canadian, and I would like to find out of there are any canucks here who are owners so I can get your thoughts on DVC, especially with concerns about exchange rates and our slowly decreasing dollar. I think that's the only real stumbling block I have - worrying about our dollar taking a nosedive, making trips stateside more expensive.

So, is DVC right for us? Have I missed anything in my analysis?

 

[chalee94]

sounds to me like you have done your homework...

i'll leave the canada-specific analysis to the canadians, though.

 

[lovin'fl]

I was going to suggest you buy SSR via resale and then I read further and saw that you already came to that conclusion. I think that's a great idea for you. Good luck and happy hunting for your contract!

 

[Msmithmd]

Torian-

You are as ideal of a match for DVC as anyone I can imagine.

If only more people put the thought and work into a purchase decision that you have, then there would be a lot less frustrated owners out there.

Enjoy your purchase, and be patient to find the deal that fits your appropriate use year and point needs.

 

[DizBub]

You really have your finger on the pulse of DVC. I'd say you are the perfect match. Good luck finding your ideal contract!

 

[torian]

Thanks guys

It's a huge commitment and I want to make sure I'm looking at things rationally and logically and not letting my emotions lead me astray.

Would 130 be good to work with? Or would I have too many extra points? Looking, it seems that 260 points every other year would secure a 1 bedroom (preferred view) at most resorts (except vgf, aulani and blt) for a 1 week stay during dream season. From what I've read, it's best to not base point purchase amounts based on the cheapest studio/seasons especially at the smaller resorts as they are in demand...and I don't want to be in a position where I'm short of points. But I also don't want a huge excess, either

 

[Msmithmd]

The adage to start small and then work up if you need is a good one.

Buy what you think you need now, add on later if you find you need more a few years into the system.

This also allows you to have multiple home resorts- say you find after your first few stays that you just love the location of BWV, or love VWL at the holidays etc. If you added on small at a second resort you would have the ability through banking and borrowing to get your eleven month booking there every third year with the add-on contract. Many members find it worth the added cost of a small additional contract to do this.

 

[torian]

I would like to keep it close to 100 points as possible. But I also have to balance the fact that I have two teens (a boy and a girl) who need their privacy. Mind you, we all survived living in a stateroom for a week!

I do like the idea of adding a small contract at another resort if I find I need more points....txs!

 

[PacoDF]

I would also give some thought to purchase 150 or 160 if you are already thinking to buy130. 130 is still considered a "small" contract and isn't a very common amount so probably you'll pay a premium to get it. 150-160 are the most common contract sizes, so maybe you even can get one for even less than a 130. Of course you'll have a few extra mf.

 

[DizBub]

You probably already know this but BLT and AKV 1 bedrooms have 2 full bathrooms plus a sleeper chair in the living rooms if everyone requires their own bed. OKW 1 bedrooms also have the sleeper chair. I think I would base the points needed for villas like this.

As far as excess points, you do have the ability to bank extra points into the next year so you won't lose them. Maybe you could build up and splurge at a higher point resort every few years. I know you want to keep points to a minimum but I believe in having a bit of a cushion. Instead of 100 points look for 120/130. That would give you some flexibility. If you get 100 and find you need more it's very difficult to find a small resale contract to add-on. OTOH if you buy a 100 point resale contract and decide you need more you can always buy as few as 25 points direct from Disney to add-on.

Plus as a DVC member you have the ability to buy up to 24 one-time-use points every year for $15 pp at 7 months to fill out a reservation.

You would also have the option of transferring points into your account from another member.

 

[CMOORE185]

I agree that if no particular resort is a must, SSR is the best deal. In a few years they will have the lowest dues as BLT has been slowly catching up.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'm glad to see an aware consumer. Bravo. And you already know there is no such thing as booking just a few weeks out.

I can't think of anything else to help you decide. Other than OKW has the biggest rooms of all the resorts and it's just a short boat ride away from DTD and about the most centrally located DVC resort to all resorts.

Good luck.

 

[lovin'fl]

I'd agree that maybe 150 would be good...110-175 could work well for you. Also agree that the smaller contracts go for more per point so it may be better to get the 150 pointer...but also am fond of having many smaller contracts for 2 reasons: 1- multiple home resorts and 2- smaller contracts are easier/quicker to resell and good if you need to downsize just a bit (ie: if you buy one 350 point contract and 8 years later realize you only need about 200 points, you cannot break up that one contract). We have 425 points spread over 5 contracts at 3 home resorts.

 

[torian]

The resale prices seem to have jumped up a bit from the last time I looked. Have they been this high for awhile? Do we expect them to trend downward anytime soon? I gather they spiked up with the launch of VGF....?

 

[DizBub]

The resale prices seem to have jumped up a bit from the last time I looked. Have they been this high for awhile? Do we expect them to trend downward anytime soon? I gather they spiked up with the launch of VGF....?

Resale prices spiked up last year before VGF came up for sale but I think it was really when they decided to raise the direct prices for the "classic" resorts to $130 pp and people went on waiting lists for up to 6 months to buy at the old prices. The was a flurry of ROFRs for a few months because Disney needed to fulfill the waitlists. Been waiting for the resale prices to come down for a while.

 

[disneynutz]

Buy enough SSR points for a stay every 2 years, that way you can really try the different resorts on for size.

Experience the DVC and the costs of DVC and Disney vacations.

If you discover that you can't stay where you want, when you want, you can buy at your favorite home resort.

If all of this doesn't meet your expectations, sell.

Bill

 

[tunnysdad]

I've also been looking at buying some points for a while now... I've decided on an SSR resale for the costs... My concern, and why I haven't pulled the trigger yet, is how hard it will be to stay in other resorts. I know it has a lot to do with time of year and type of room, but I don't want to buy too many points in fear of not getting to be able to experience the other resorts.

I want to be able to go every other year for sure, with the option of going every year. I have a family of 5, so 1BR are my preference, and we like going in the off seasons (October-February and occasionally in spring or summer). I was thinking 200 points, any thoughts?

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I want to be able to go every other year for sure, with the option of going every year. I have a family of 5, so 1BR are my preference, and we like going in the off seasons (October-February and occasionally in spring or summer). I was thinking 200 points, any thoughts?

Unfortunately, Oct to Feb isn't off season for DVC. From mid-Sept to mid-Jan is probably the most popular time for DVC members. So for those trips, make sure you buy where you won't mind staying if you can't change your reservation at seven months out. So, don't plan on staying at BCV or BWV during October for F&W if you don't own there.

Some of the one bedroom villas do not have sleeping spaces for five (VWL, SSR, BWV, BCV) so you would have to bring an air bed for your fifth person, as well as towels and bedding. DVC won't provide that, but currently they allow a fifth person.

 

[disneynutz]

I've also been looking at buying some points for a while now... I've decided on an SSR resale for the costs... My concern, and why I haven't pulled the trigger yet, is how hard it will be to stay in other resorts. I know it has a lot to do with time of year and type of room, but I don't want to buy too many points in fear of not getting to be able to experience the other resorts.

I want to be able to go every other year for sure, with the option of going every year. I have a family of 5, so 1BR are my preference, and we like going in the off seasons (October-February and occasionally in spring or summer). I was thinking 200 points, any thoughts?

Buy and see for yourself.

Everyone has different opinions and will lead you down a different path. For our stays we decided to buy at different home resorts after having difficulty getting what we wanted, but that is us.

You may not care where you stay or you want a different size of room that has more availability or you stay at a different time of year. I will say that Disney is working very hard and has invested billions to make the entire year busy.

Bill

 

[chalee94]

I've also been looking at buying some points for a while now... I've decided on an SSR resale for the costs...I know it has a lot to do with time of year and type of room, but I don't want to buy too many points in fear of not getting to be able to experience the other resorts.

there are thousands of SSR owners who bought SSR thinking they would never have to stay there. many have popped onto the DIS to complain on their way to sell their contract and gotten out...while i'm sure a few have been successful in switching resorts at 7 months. the math works against you, though.

as deb&bill say, though, you are looking at booking the most busy period for DVC bookings, so buy somewhere you wouldn't mind being "stuck" - whether SSR or elsewhere. if you really don't like SSR, the savings won't make you feel better about owning there.

based on your family size of 5, you'd probably be happiest staying in 1BRs at kidani and maybe OKW. (but if you expect to get standard view 1BRs at BLT at 7 months out for early december, you have really not done your homework.)

have you tried renting? see what you can get with renting at 7 months out a few times before buying in...