Considering purchase and have a few questions.

[whois figment]

I am looking into buying into DVC. I was originally going to rent points for my trip this May but I am considering purchasing instead. I have some questions I was hoping someone could answer. Thanks in advance.


1. If I buy from SSR and then purchase an add on at another resort can I book at the 11 month point at one resort and borrow points from the other resort if I need points?

2. They are offering the $10 off per point right now. Do they offer a better price if you actually tour the resort and purchase while you are there?

3. Are the prices the same on add ons?

4. I have been to Disney 5 times in the last 6 years. I have every intention on going back on a yearly basis. Are there any drawbacks to purchasing into DVC as far as value flexibility etc.?

5. If you purchase do you have a set room at your home resort or do you get a different room each time?

 

[PamOKW]

I'll answer a few of your questions. First, points only have the 11 month advantage at the resort where they were purchased. If you have 150 SSR points, you can use them (and up to 300 points by banking & borrowing) to book in the 11-7 month window at SSR. If you add-on 50 points at VWL, you can use the 50 (and up to 150 points by banking & borrowing) to book at that resort in the 11-7 month window. At the 7 month window, you can combine all your points and book at any DVC resort.

The beauty of DVC is that you are not locked into anything -- you can pick the resort, size of unit and time and length of stay every time you make a reservation. It's all just based on availability.

If you regularly travel to WDW, you need to give the DVC concept careful consideration. For most people, it provides a luxury of accomodations for costs roughly equal to staying at a moderate resort.

 

[dianeschlicht]

1. If I buy from SSR and then purchase an add on at another resort can I book at the 11 month point at one resort and borrow points from the other resort if I need points? You will have the 11 month booking priveledge only for the number of points you own at that resort. You can book at SSR at the 11 month window and try to transfer your ressie to the other resort at the 7 month booking window.
2. They are offering the $10 off per point right now. Do they offer a better price if you actually tour the resort and purchase while you are there? I don't think so, but I haven't looked into this lately.
3. Are the prices the same on add ons? Yes.

4. I have been to Disney 5 times in the last 6 years. I have every intention on going back on a yearly basis. Are there any drawbacks to purchasing into DVC as far as value flexibility etc.? You sound like the perfect candidate to own DVC! Its flexibility is the intrigue of DVC. You can stay at any of the DVC resorts without paying an exchange fee.
5. If you purchase do you have a set room at your home resort or do you get a different room each time? Yes, you will get a different room each time, and you can decide if you want a studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom villa. Of course, the point cost will vary by villa size and resort.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

Had to make some clarifications:

1. If I buy from SSR and then purchase an add on at another resort can I book at the 11 month point at one resort and borrow points from the other resort if I need points? You will have the 11 month booking priveledge only for the number of points you own at that resort. You can book at SSR at the 11 month window and try to transfer your ressie to the other resort at the 7 month booking window.

2. They are offering the $10 off per point right now. Do they offer a better price if you actually tour the resort and purchase while you are there? I don't think so, but I haven't looked into this lately. No, you do not get a better offer. If you tour the resort, they start the clock on the incentives. At the end of your vacation, you have 3 days to call to get the incentives or you lose the $10 off offer. Also, as the time gets closer to the time your building opens in May, there's the chance the incentive will decrease or go away completely. The only reason they are offering incentives is because they are pre-selling and the points don't come available until June 2005. So there is a chance that between now and your trip, the current incentive may not be there. My advice is that if you want to make sure you get the incentive, go ahead and order a contract from DVC. You have 60 days to sign and once you sign, another 15 days to back out. And you can adjust the point amount up or down and still get the incentive for all points that you finally decide upon. In the meantime, check out the resale market and see if there is something else out there that you'd rather have.

3. Are the prices the same on add ons? Yes. If you plan to add on at a sold out resort, DVC charges $89, whether it's BCV or VB. DVC has waiting list on the sold outs and gets the points from exercising ROFR. You're better off getting a sold out resort via resale and may luck into some banked points. Add ons for SSR are $85 and they do offer incentives like free passes and offering DVC financing for purchases over a certain amount.

4. I have been to Disney 5 times in the last 6 years. I have every intention on going back on a yearly basis. Are there any drawbacks to purchasing into DVC as far as value flexibility etc.? You sound like the perfect candidate to own DVC! Its flexibility is the intrigue of DVC. You can stay at any of the DVC resorts without paying an exchange fee.

5. If you purchase do you have a set room at your home resort or do you get a different room each time? Yes, you will get a different room each time, and you can decide if you want a studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom villa. Of course, the point cost will vary by villa size and resort.

 

[whois figment]

Thanks for the responses. I called and talked to the DVC rep. They are sending me some more information. After reading the post about SSR being a glorified apartment complex. I am not sure if I want to purchase with out looking the resort first or not. Thanks again for all the responses.

 

[poohj80]

After reading the post about SSR being a glorified apartment complex. I am not sure if I want to purchase with out looking the resort first or not.

Don't let one person's opinion scare you away, but I think you are wise to check out any resort before buying. We bought at SSR because the contracts have a longer lifetime and knowing we can hopefully get into the other resorts at the 7 month window.