Considering it...SO many questions!

[eandesmom]

I'll try to be succinct. Not my strong point!

1. Banking Borrowing.

Can you only bank 1 year? We are considering a plan based on an every other year, or every 3 year trip. If I can only bank one year that may change things.

2. Changing ressies

If I book at my home resort somewhere in the 9-11 month window but then need to change post that (or really want somewhere else but have to wait to the 7 month mark) then what happens? Realistically, with our kids schedules booking that far ahead might be next to impossible so I need to know the penalty for changes. For example this last trip was originally booked for thanksgiving 08, then changed to spring break 09, then moved back to presidents week 09. In the DVC world...what would have happened?

3. Home resort advantage - Tree house villas.

I love, love love the concept of the tree house villas. But, practically speaking there are only 60 of them and SSR is a HUGE resort. How realistic would it be to buy into SSR as the home resort knowing that the treehouses are really the only appeal? Even with the home resort advantage these would seem hard to get.

4. New purchase versus resale

Somewhat related to the above. I am pretty torn between resorts for different reasons. On my list is

WL. We just love WL. Everything about it. Location, food offerings, theme, everything. This would have to be resale. The only reasons I could see not choosing WL are: incentives elsewhere, the fact that is is VERY PNW like (home-ish) and so maybe something a little more out of our comfort zone might be good lol, and the fact that we tend to spend more time at Epcot and DHS so those resort locations, for location alone, are incredibly appealing.

AKL. Love love love AKL but am not crazy about the location, once there it is lovely but it's awfully far from everything else. It is gorgeous, has great food offerings, would feel very "away" And...could be a new purchase so those incentives would apply.

BWV/BC. Love the locations but am less thrilled with the actual resorts. Of the two BC seems more us but I like the atmosphere at BWV. Would be resale.

SSR. Is only on my radar b/c of the Tree House Villas. DTD is not a huge draw for us but isn't a negative either. Would be a new purchase.

BLT. Is only on my radar b/c it is currently for sale lol. Would be resale. I know, we are weird. The location is amazing but...Contemporary seems boring to us for some reason and not as Disney-ish.

Thoughts? We are a family of 6, from the west coast (PNW), hence the EOY scenario. We might use points at DL but that's debatable. Granted, if I can never really book at that 11 month mark without huge problems should I need to change it, it might be irrelevant. But I'd like to feel really good about where we "own". Looking at that 160 point entry as that would work for an EOY 2 br villa scenario...at least to start.

TIA!

 

[5forDiz]

Will try to answer some questions -

For banking & banking/borrowing here's an example :

To have double allotment of points to use EOY -
your UY is April, on 4/1/2009 you receive your 2009 UY allotment of points
available to use from 4/1/2009 - 3/31/2010 but you may bank all or part of that allotment to 2010 UY by Nov 30 2009 in which case those banked points are available to use from 4/1/2010 - 3/31/2011; these points cannot be rebanked and must be used by 3/31/2011 - so that's one way to have a double allotment of points to use OR you could borrow 2011 UY points into 2010 UY and have double allotment of points to use during 2010 UY; these borrowed points must be used by end of 2010 UY (3/31/2011) - they cannot be "put back" into 2011 UY.

To have triple allotment of points to use Every Third Year (ETY)-
using April UY again for example : bank April 2009 UY pts into 2010 UY + your 2010 UY allotment of points + borrow April 2011 UY pts into 2010 UY and have 3 yrs worth of points to use from 4/1/2010 - 3/31/2011.

Changing Reservations -

If your reservation is at a DVC resort and you wish to change dates or change to another DVC resort there isn't a fee charged to make these changes. Any changes are subject to availability of course.

Also note your points give you a 4 month booking advantage at your Home Resort ( months 11,10,9 and 8 before check-in); at 7 months or less before a check-in date you want you will be competeing against all other DVC owners for reservation.

THV at SSR -

Can't answer this because I haven't really been following the booking activity at THV here on these boards since they began accepting reservations for them on Feb. 8; no doubt others here will be able to answer this better for you.

Resale or buy direct from Disney -

ALL DVC resorts at WDW (& Hilton Head and Vero Beach) are showing up on the resale market even BLT & it really pays to do your homework on this because the savings could be significant over buying direct through Disney - The Timeshare Store is sponsor here and are great to deal with ( I have and many others here as well have); best advice and majority here will tell you same is to buy at the resort you truly feel you will most love to stay at. Check the 2009 and 2010 points charts to determine how many points you'd need based on resort/villa size/number of days/season(s) you'd most likely want to travel during & divide it by 2 if travelling EOY or 3 if ETY.

Best wishes on your planning and hope you find the contract that best fits your needs real soon

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'll try to be succinct. Not my strong point!

...2. Changing ressies

If I book at my home resort somewhere in the 9-11 month window but then need to change post that (or really want somewhere else but have to wait to the 7 month mark) then what happens? Realistically, with our kids schedules booking that far ahead might be next to impossible so I need to know the penalty for changes. For example this last trip was originally booked for thanksgiving 08, then changed to spring break 09, then moved back to presidents week 09. In the DVC world...what would have happened?
...

Well, depending on your use year and whether or not you already had banked points, you might have lost the points from the Thanksgiving stay. Or you might have been able to book Spring Break with those same points. It would just depend. And it would also depend on availability. You wouldn't be able to get a GV at OKW for Spring Break only a few months out, but you might have been able to get a two bedroom villa and a studio.

Plus, if you cancel 30 days or less from the start of the vacation, your points go into holding. Meaning you can only use them 60 days out to reserve a vacation and they expire at the end of the use year.

Also, if you borrowed points for the stay and crossed your use year, those points would be lost.

Unless you are very flexible where you stay and wouldn't mind a few days here, a few days there, you can book a shorter time before the start of your vacation. But some trip wouldn't happen at all if you waited too close to the start of your trip.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Can you only bank 1 year? We are considering a plan based on an every other year, or every 3 year trip. If I can only bank one year that may change things.

The way DVC is set up, you can buy enough points to go every year, every other year (banking or borrowing), or every third year (banking and borrowing). If you purchased 100 points, you could have access to 300 points with banking and borrowing.

If I book at my home resort somewhere in the 9-11 month window but then need to change post that (or really want somewhere else but have to wait to the 7 month mark) then what happens? Realistically, with our kids schedules booking that far ahead might be next to impossible so I need to know the penalty for changes. For example this last trip was originally booked for thanksgiving 08, then changed to spring break 09, then moved back to presidents week 09. In the DVC world...what would have happened?

DVC is very flexible. You don't really get penalized until 30 days out, and that's only if you cancel. If you have to cancel, your points go into a holding account, and there are specific rules around it (they expire at the end of your UY, and in order to use them, you have to make a reservation within 60 days of your check-in date (not months in advance). So, you can change resorts, change dates, etc. without being penalized. The only thing multiple changes do is increase our dues!!!

I love, love love the concept of the tree house villas. But, practically speaking there are only 60 of them and SSR is a HUGE resort. How realistic would it be to buy into SSR as the home resort knowing that the treehouses are really the only appeal? Even with the home resort advantage these would seem hard to get.

If you can book at 11 months out, I think you'll be able to get a THV unless you're going at peak times. If you're trying to book at Christmas, New Year's, or spring break, for example, it may be a toss-up. Otherwise, your changes are just as good as the next owner.

We own at SSR, and love it. If you haven't been before, take a tour the next time at WDW. There are threads posted on here all of the time where people are pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed SSR during their stay. It's not for everyone, but it's a beautiful resort.

Somewhat related to the above. I am pretty torn between resorts for different reasons.

Choosing a home resort is a very personal choice. You can choose to buy all your points at one, or split up your points and be able to book 8 - 11 months out at more than one.

If you can't book 8 - 11 months out, then a home resort advantage isn't going to mean much to you. If you can, it can mean a lot (e.g., ability to book THV at SSR, MK views at BLT, Christmas at VWL, etc.).

Unless I was buying at BLT and possibly AKV (would have to compare), I would not buy direct. Definitely check out resale and compare costs. For example, I just saw a post where a person just passed ROFR for just over $65 per point at SSR! That's an incredible savings over purchasing direct. You are talking about $10 - $11K in savings, even if you pay closing costs. There's no incentive that Disney is offering that would compete with that. Plus, any resale purchase will allow you to book THV at 8 - 11 months in advance. You don't have to buy THV points to have the booking advantage.

Here are my questions that may help you decide:
* Will you be staying predominately at 1 or 2 resorts or hopping? If so, buy there. If not, it's not as important.
* Do you care about when the contract expires? If so, many resorts expire in 2042. Others expire much later (SSR - 2054, AKV and OKW extended - 2057, and BLT - 2060).
* Are you trying to book at a certain time of the year (e.g., Christmas, spring break, Food and Wine)? If so, a home resort priority may matter.
* Are you stingy with your money, always looking for the best value? Then pay attention to points charts. You may feel the same way with your points. Are you going to want to use 30 - 60 more points or more for the same room, same time of year on a regular basis?
* Maintenance Fees - they vary by resort (low $4 up to $6.41). If your trying to choose between two resorts, this may help you decide.

Thoughts? We are a family of 6, from the west coast (PNW), hence the EOY scenario. We might use points at DL but that's debatable. Granted, if I can never really book at that 11 month mark without huge problems should I need to change it, it might be irrelevant. But I'd like to feel really good about where we "own". Looking at that 160 point entry as that would work for an EOY 2 br villa scenario...at least to start.

Some resorts (BCV, VWL, etc.) will cost you 350 points for 7 nights in 2009. Go here (http://www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm), play around, and see how many points your will need. Just as an FYI, for 2010, Disney reallocated points for a week. Weekdays went up, and weekends went down. Though the cost for an entire week didn't really change (or only slightly), it did impact people who mostly stayed Sun - Th nights. Their points won't go as far as they used to go.

Think of when you can book, and if 7 months out is more realistic, buy the best deal, and feel GREAT about your home resort. When we bought in, we made the decision to visit all of the DVC resorts. I'm so glad we did, because I have loved EVERY one of them! If I had to pick now, I'd have a really hard time. I can honestly say I'd be proud to call any of them home for different reasons.

Best of luck with your decision! We've owned for a few years now, and we've never looked back!

 

[eandesmom]

Will try to answer some questions -

For banking & banking/borrowing here's an example :

To have double allotment of points to use EOY -
your UY is April, on 4/1/2009 you receive your 2009 UY allotment of points
available to use from 4/1/2009 - 3/31/2010 but you may bank all or part of that allotment to 2010 UY by Nov 30 2009 in which case those banked points are available to use from 4/1/2010 - 3/31/2011; these points cannot be rebanked and must be used by 3/31/2011 - so that's one way to have a double allotment of points to use OR you could borrow 2011 UY points into 2010 UY and have double allotment of points to use during 2010 UY; these borrowed points must be used by end of 2010 UY (3/31/2011) - they cannot be "put back" into 2011 UY.

To have triple allotment of points to use Every Third Year (ETY)-
using April UY again for example : bank April 2009 UY pts into 2010 UY + your 2010 UY allotment of points + borrow April 2011 UY pts into 2010 UY and have 3 yrs worth of points to use from 4/1/2010 - 3/31/2011.

HUGELY helpful. Why I didn't grasp the bank/borrow thing as being simultaneously available I'm not sure, but I didn't.

Changing Reservations -

If your reservation is at a DVC resort and you wish to change dates or change to another DVC resort there isn't a fee charged to make these changes. Any changes are subject to availability of course.

Also note your points give you a 4 month booking advantage at your Home Resort ( months 11,10,9 and 8 before check-in); at 7 months or less before a check-in date you want you will be competeing against all other DVC owners for reservation.

So...this goes by grant or purchase year, not by calendar year? Still slightly confused about the switching aspect.

Resale or buy direct from Disney -

ALL DVC resorts at WDW (& Hilton Head and Vero Beach) are showing up on the resale market even BLT & it really pays to do your homework on this because the savings could be significant over buying direct through Disney - The Timeshare Store is sponsor here and are great to deal with ( I have and many others here as well have); best advice and majority here will tell you same is to buy at the resort you truly feel you will most love to stay at. Check the 2009 and 2010 points charts to determine how many points you'd need based on resort/villa size/number of days/season(s) you'd most likely want to travel during & divide it by 2 if travelling EOY or 3 if ETY.

Best wishes on your planning and hope you find the contract that best fits your needs real soon

Thank you! Yes, I can see where resale can potentially be a MUCH better deal. I think, for me, I need to narrow down my choices and then evaluate from there. So many things to consider!

 

[eandesmom]

Well, depending on your use year and whether or not you already had banked points, you might have lost the points from the Thanksgiving stay. Or you might have been able to book Spring Break with those same points. It would just depend. And it would also depend on availability. You wouldn't be able to get a GV at OKW for Spring Break only a few months out, but you might have been able to get a two bedroom villa and a studio.

Plus, if you cancel 30 days or less from the start of the vacation, your points go into holding. Meaning you can only use them 60 days out to reserve a vacation and they expire at the end of the use year.

Also, if you borrowed points for the stay and crossed your use year, those points would be lost.

Unless you are very flexible where you stay and wouldn't mind a few days here, a few days there, you can book a shorter time before the start of your vacation. But some trip wouldn't happen at all if you waited too close to the start of your trip.

really, that could make all the difference. I made all of the changes to the aforementioned reservation within a 12 month period, but over 2 calendar years. What that tells me is WHEN my UY starts will be pretty darn important. While I can't see us booking in a 30-60 day time frame...90 days is pretty realistic.

 

[eandesmom]

DVC is very flexible. You don't really get penalized until 30 days out, and that's only if you cancel. If you have to cancel, your points go into a holding account, and there are specific rules around it (they expire at the end of your UY, and in order to use them, you have to make a reservation within 60 days of your check-in date (not months in advance). So, you can change resorts, change dates, etc. without being penalized. The only thing multiple changes do is increase our dues!!!


If you can book at 11 months out, I think you'll be able to get a THV unless you're going at peak times. If you're trying to book at Christmas, New Year's, or spring break, for example, it may be a toss-up. Otherwise, your changes are just as good as the next owner.

We own at SSR, and love it. If you haven't been before, take a tour the next time at WDW. There are threads posted on here all of the time where people are pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed SSR during their stay. It's not for everyone, but it's a beautiful resort.


Choosing a home resort is a very personal choice. You can choose to buy all your points at one, or split up your points and be able to book 8 - 11 months out at more than one.

If you can't book 8 - 11 months out, then a home resort advantage isn't going to mean much to you. If you can, it can mean a lot (e.g., ability to book THV at SSR, MK views at BLT, Christmas at VWL, etc.).

Unless I was buying at BLT and possibly AKV (would have to compare), I would not buy direct. Definitely check out resale and compare costs. For example, I just saw a post where a person just passed ROFR for just over $65 per point at SSR! That's an incredible savings over purchasing direct. You are talking about $10 - $11K in savings, even if you pay closing costs. There's no incentive that Disney is offering that would compete with that. Plus, any resale purchase will allow you to book THV at 8 - 11 months in advance. You don't have to buy THV points to have the booking advantage.

Here are my questions that may help you decide:
* Will you be staying predominately at 1 or 2 resorts or hopping? If so, buy there. If not, it's not as important.

Predominately 1, at least one per trip. While I get the concept of hopping I just don't see us doing it unless it was to Vero Beach. To hop, in the same "town" if you will, just is too much work for me lol!

* Do you care about when the contract expires? If so, many resorts expire in 2042. Others expire much later (SSR - 2054, AKV and OKW extended - 2057, and BLT - 2060).

Not sure, need to REALLY think about that one! Ideally later is better but.. how much better, not sure.

* Are you trying to book at a certain time of the year (e.g., Christmas, spring break, Food and Wine)? If so, a home resort priority may matter.

Hard to say at this point. But it's possible. If I could, I'd go for F&W every time. The kids could care far less about that. But in 10 years, sans kids...things will change.

* Are you stingy with your money, always looking for the best value? Then pay attention to points charts. You may feel the same way with your points. Are you going to want to use 30 - 60 more points or more for the same room, same time of year on a regular basis?

Yes...to a point. I'd like to be able to afford what we "need" in an ideal scenario, recognizing that "value" season does NOT coincide with school breaks but also knowing that it unlikely we'd choose to go in Peak either, this last trip bridged both periods which made the peak part less painful.

* Maintenance Fees - they vary by resort (low $4 up to $6.41). If your trying to choose between two resorts, this may help you decide.

GREAT point, I need to figure that out and compare.

Some resorts (BCV, VWL, etc.) will cost you 350 points for 7 nights in 2009. Go here (http://www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm), play around, and see how many points your will need. Just as an FYI, for 2010, Disney reallocated points for a week. Weekdays went up, and weekends went down. Though the cost for an entire week didn't really change (or only slightly), it did impact people who mostly stayed Sun - Th nights. Their points won't go as far as they used to go.

Think of when you can book, and if 7 months out is more realistic, buy the best deal, and feel GREAT about your home resort. When we bought in, we made the decision to visit all of the DVC resorts. I'm so glad we did, because I have loved EVERY one of them! If I had to pick now, I'd have a really hard time. I can honestly say I'd be proud to call any of them home for different reasons.

Best of luck with your decision! We've owned for a few years now, and we've never looked back!

Thanks! Ideally I can go for a "long" weekend and just look, if and when this really becomes a potential reality.

 

[eandesmom]

Oh and while right now, the concept of 11 months out is VERY hard....as time goes on it will become less so. I'd say in about 7 years lol.

 

[eandesmom]

T

If you can book at 11 months out, I think you'll be able to get a THV unless you're going at peak times. If you're trying to book at Christmas, New Year's, or spring break, for example, it may be a toss-up. Otherwise, your changes are just as good as the next owner.

We own at SSR, and love it. If you haven't been before, take a tour the next time at WDW. There are threads posted on here all of the time where people are pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed SSR during their stay. It's not for everyone, but it's a beautiful resort.


Choosing a home resort is a very personal choice. You can choose to buy all your points at one, or split up your points and be able to book 8 - 11 months out at more than one.

If you can't book 8 - 11 months out, then a home resort advantage isn't going to mean much to you. If you can, it can mean a lot (e.g., ability to book THV at SSR, MK views at BLT, Christmas at VWL, etc.).

Unless I was buying at BLT and possibly AKV (would have to compare), I would not buy direct. Definitely check out resale and compare costs. For example, I just saw a post where a person just passed ROFR for just over $65 per point at SSR! That's an incredible savings over purchasing direct. You are talking about $10 - $11K in savings, even if you pay closing costs. There's no incentive that Disney is offering that would compete with that. Plus, any resale purchase will allow you to book THV at 8 - 11 months in advance. You don't have to buy THV points to have the booking advantage.

Some resorts (BCV, VWL, etc.) will cost you 350 points for 7 nights in 2009. Go here (http://www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm), play around, and see how many points your will need. Just as an FYI, for 2010, Disney reallocated points for a week. Weekdays went up, and weekends went down. Though the cost for an entire week didn't really change (or only slightly), it did impact people who mostly stayed Sun - Th nights. Their points won't go as far as they used to go.

Think of when you can book, and if 7 months out is more realistic, buy the best deal, and feel GREAT about your home resort. When we bought in, we made the decision to visit all of the DVC resorts. I'm so glad we did, because I have loved EVERY one of them! If I had to pick now, I'd have a really hard time. I can honestly say I'd be proud to call any of them home for different reasons.

Best of luck with your decision! We've owned for a few years now, and we've never looked back!

Ok, I probably need to go check out SSR "live". My experience of it is the view from DME and the road in front and then the view from DTD. It looks HUGE. HUGE HUGE HUGE. And while I adore the concept of the THV and would probably buy into that sight unseen, SSR, what little I saw, didn't feel very "us". So I'm nervous about banking on THV if all SSR owners have equal booking rights when SSR looks so incredibly huge!


I can't see booking 11 months out NOW. Heck we rarely book more than 4 months out now. In 7 years or so though, I can.

Aack! All that said, if F&W is when I really want to try to go, on a recurring basis....BWV and BCV seem best, no matter how much DH loves WL and AKL.

I need a resort shopping trip!

 

[Sandisw]

Aack! All that said, if F&W is when I really want to try to go, on a recurring basis....BWV and BCV seem best, no matter how much DH loves WL and AKL.

I need a resort shopping trip!

The great thing about getting into DVC through resale is that you can start with something small and go up from there.

If Food & Wine is the trip that you can see, even in the future, going to more regularly, then looking for a BWV and BCV resale contract may be a great start.

You will then have the opportunity to possibly buy other small contracts at the other resorts your DH loves and end up with severl different home resorts. If you are not booking right now more than 7 months out, it does not realy matter but for the future it will.

I have both VWL (small resale) and BLT, because I know that I love the Contemporary and the walk to MK. After years of going and trying other resorts, we always ended up switching mid-trip to the Contemporary so I knew that location was most important for me. But by doing it this way, I saved some money because I was able to add on at BLT at a much lower point level.

Now that we own at BLT and I know that at least some of my nights will be there, I think I will be more likely to try other resorts. I am a teacher and always travel the same times of the year so booking at 11 months is doable.

Good luck and happy planning!