Considering purchase - couple questions

[Vohdre]

I have done a bunch of research, taken the tour at WDW, looked over prices and contracts, etc. I've even visited a few of the DVC resorts on site at WDW, but have not stayed there.

What I'm really trying to understand is how big of a deal owning a particular resort is. Most of the time there will only be 2-4 people in our party (Studio to 2 BDRM) and we were considering 100-200pts at BLT or AKV via resale. That being said it's very likely would would want to at some point want to stay at Aluani, VGF, Polynesian, etc. If we're not traveling during Christmas or Spring Break is it still very difficult to get rooms 7 months out?

Also in that same vein - I have seen a bunch of people talk about how they have smaller point contracts all over the place. If it is difficult to book 7 months out at some places then what are they doing with 50 points at say BCV or VGF? Are they booking 1 or 2 nights there on a split stay and then using their other say 160 point AKV contract and staying another 3-4 nights at AKV or SSR or whatever? I guess I just don't understand how useful a small contract is at a high demand resort as you can only book a couple of nights there 11 months out.

Thanks.

 

[wildforgoofy]

You will get some great examples of understanding small contracts from the DVC veterans on here. Here's what I've gathered. If I love VGF I'm thinking I'll buy a small contract say 50 points. Then if I bank a year, use a year & borrow a year I'll have 150 points to stay at VGF every 3 years. In between when I'm using my 200 BLT points to stay at BLT. Does that make sense? They save up small contracts to use at resorts they fall in love with but don't need a ton of points at. You can also combine all your points to stay elsewhere. I'm thinking of 50 points at VGF because with it being small I'll want the 11 month window to get what room I want every 3 years.

 

[cedricandsophie]

There are lots of other people who can provide detailed cost analysis and descriptions about the value of points, etc. I can only tell you our experience. We have over 1400 points at seven different resorts. Why? We started out with Boardwalk back in 1998 when we first bought. Then we added Vero beach and old key west just because we liked those resorts. Those, along came bay lake, aulani and animal kingdom which were bought direct from Disney. We have also purchased more points at Vero beach resale...because we wanted to have enough for a three bedroom villa. Then we bought wilderness lodge resale because my husband loves thst resort. Then last year we bought more for animal kingdom resale because I wanted to stay on the club level and you have to do those at least 11 months out. We have never considered any of these an investment and would never resell. When we don't use them we give them to our kids and we know they will use them after we die. We bought at the places we liked and wanted to be at. We have never bought at Saratoga springs because that is my least favorite. Just once have we had to stay there because we made reservations late and there are usually spots available. There have been times that we have not gotten what we wanted at seven months. So for us it is good to have the ability to reserve 11 months out some time. But we have never been unable to get any reservation. However, we only get one or two bedrooms and those are somewhat easier than studios. My suggestion for you is to consider where you want to be and buy enough points to satisfy that need either annually or more often. And as our investment counselor told us...never consider this an investment. Buy because you love it not because you hope to sell it eventually and make money or break even. Also be sure you understand your annual costs. Our points probably cost us about 9000 a year. Yes that's a lot. But I figured out that over a 18 month period we used over 60 days at Disney, either for ourselves or giving away to family and friends. So for about 14,000 in annual fees, we got well over 30000 in room value considering 10 of those days was at aulani in a two bedroom ocean view which goes for about 1500 to 2000 a night and 4 nights at the three bedroom Vero beach villa for about 800 a night and several nights in a one bedroom club level at animal kingdom which goes for over 500 a night. We have never used our points for a cruise although we have been on many. We just love the resorts themselves. I know we are blessed that we can afford the initial cost, without financing and the Ongoing fees, but we don't tend to look at things purely from a financial perspective...more emotionally. The bottom line...it has been a great choice for us. But not everyone would look at it the same way. Good luck in your decision.

 

[wildforgoofy]

Sadly I'd probably need a small contract of 85 points at VGF so I could actually get a week. Lol it's beautiful put point pricey!

 

[disneynutz]

I have done a bunch of research, taken the tour at WDW, looked over prices and contracts, etc. I've even visited a few of the DVC resorts on site at WDW, but have not stayed there.

What I'm really trying to understand is how big of a deal owning a particular resort is. Most of the time there will only be 2-4 people in our party (Studio to 2 BDRM) and we were considering 100-200pts at BLT or AKV via resale. That being said it's very likely would would want to at some point want to stay at Aluani, VGF, Polynesian, etc. If we're not traveling during Christmas or Spring Break is it still very difficult to get rooms 7 months out?

Also in that same vein - I have seen a bunch of people talk about how they have smaller point contracts all over the place. If it is difficult to book 7 months out at some places then what are they doing with 50 points at say BCV or VGF? Are they booking 1 or 2 nights there on a split stay and then using their other say 160 point AKV contract and staying another 3-4 nights at AKV or SSR or whatever? I guess I just don't understand how useful a small contract is at a high demand resort as you can only book a couple of nights there 11 months out.

Thanks.

DVC can save you money on deluxe accommodations and larger rooms but it also causes you to vacation at Disney more often. The more you go, familiarization sets in, you have done the parks a million times and you get tired of the crowds and Disney transportation.

Now you realize that the resorts are just as wonderful as the parks but you didn't buy at your favorite resort, you bought at another resort and you have trouble always getting to stay where you want when you want.

The way to fix the problem is to sell and buy where you really want to stay or buy at your favorite resorts to begin with.

My current recommendation is to buy at the least expensive resort knowing that you will sell later when you figure out if Disney/DVC is right for you and which resorts are truly your favorites after staying at each a couple of times.

Bill

 

[HokieGCC]

Everyone is different but we think the resort choice becomes more important over time. When DW is relatively "new" to a family the parks tend to be the attraction and where the time is spent. For these years you want easy access (good bus service or resorts you can walk from). We were perfectly happy with moderate resorts (Coronado Springs has good bus service) when we were in this phase.

However, as the visits pile up and kids get older the resort becomes more important and you spend more time there having a more traditional vacation. So, for us the BC is#1 and the BW is #2 due to the boardwalk, great BC pool, nice places to eat and easy access to the World Showcase in Epcot (almost an extension to the BC it is so close).

To book these resorts with the rooms you want during popular DVC times you pretty much need the 11 month booking advantage.

 

[lovin'fl]

You will get some great examples of understanding small contracts from the DVC veterans on here. Here's what I've gathered. If I love VGF I'm thinking I'll buy a small contract say 50 points. Then if I bank a year, use a year & borrow a year I'll have 150 points to stay at VGF every 3 years. In between when I'm using my 200 BLT points to stay at BLT. Does that make sense? They save up small contracts to use at resorts they fall in love with but don't need a ton of points at. You can also combine all your points to stay elsewhere. I'm thinking of 50 points at VGF because with it being small I'll want the 11 month window to get what room I want every 3 years.

This above and also...
we have many contracts (smaller) and can do split stays. This Aug I used points, OKW points actually and around 6 months out, to book 2 nights at SSR and 2 at BWV (each of my DDs picked a resort). We will book for next Aug in Sept and plan to use our BWV points for BWV and AKV for AKV (4 nights at each).

We have 3 small HHI contracts totaling 125 points and we bank and borrow to book a nice long-ish stay at HHI every 3 years (or that's the plan...this year is the 1st year we're using them).

The pluses to buying smaller contracts:
1- many 11 month booking priorities (I have 4)

2- can buy with cash as we have the cash to do so (bought 1 contract in 2006, 2 in 2012, 2 in 2013 and 2 in 2014).

3- can downsize more easily (when we initially bought our 200 point OKW in 2006, then moved from NC to MD in 2007 and we wanted to downsize as we didn't think we'd go to WDW that often...we couldn't break up our 200 point contract so MIL and FIL pay us to use 100 points per UY).

4- can sell for higher price per point and can sell quicker (smaller contracts go fast)

5- can gift a variety to our 3 kids when they are older (they are all in HS now).

 

[bakerworld]

~ What I'm really trying to understand is how big of a deal owning a particular resort is. Most of the time there will only be 2-4 people in our party (Studio ~ If we're not traveling during Christmas or Spring Break is it still very difficult to get rooms 7 months out?

Also in that same vein - I have seen a bunch of people talk about how they have smaller point contracts all over the place. If it is difficult to book 7 months out at some places then what are they doing with 50 points at say BCV or VGF? ~

Thanks.

We're Studio Dwellers and have a preference to stay at 'park walk-able' venues. We purchased AK figuring we could transfer into other WDW venues at 7 mos and found this only works well between late January thru mid-September as we do not like split stays.

While SSR/OKW/AK are very nice venues we've not used our pts and paid cash to stay in the Epcot area at the Dolphin during Fall. We figured that if we bought a 55pt contract at BC we could combine pts and stay every other year.

I have not yet had the ability to trade into the GFV and DH is pushing to purchase the Poly when it comes online because he doesn't want to be shut out. If we do this we'll likely purchase a small pt contract figuring on every 3 years and sell one of our other contracts ... possibly

 

[R0cky]

I understand the small contract idea and it does make sense. But 2 things I worry about that is, aren't you getting nickel and dimed by the closing costs because of this?

Also, do you have to take into account your UY when you purchase another contract?

We are considering buying in and one of the things we have discussed is buy in at a lower cost resort for a good chunk of points (150+) and then supplement that with a 30-50 pt contract at a resort we want to buy in at.

However, with Use Years, do I have to match them up? (say my 150+ is august, look for a 30-50pt. with a use year that matches?) This seems easier said than done.

 

[disneynutz]

I understand the small contract idea and it does make sense. But 2 things I worry about that is, aren't you getting nickel and dimed by the closing costs because of this?

Also, do you have to take into account your UY when you purchase another contract?

We are considering buying in and one of the things we have discussed is buy in at a lower cost resort for a good chunk of points (150+) and then supplement that with a 30-50 pt contract at a resort we want to buy in at.

However, with Use Years, do I have to match them up? (say my 150+ is august, look for a 30-50pt. with a use year that matches?) This seems easier said than done.

I would match the UY's so that you only have 1 membership.

Closing costs are nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars that you will spend on your Disney vacations. I would rather spend a little more, buy where we love to stay, and enjoy ourselves.

You can only combine the points from the 2 contracts for a 7 month booking.

Bill

 

[nalajms]

Split says for now. We added on a VGF last year so that I have enough for 2-3 nights in a 2bd each year. Those are our MK days, then we move to Epcot for the rest of our vacation. The plan is to use this small VGF contract for longer studio stays once the kids are older and we can go as a couple. Sadly, that's years away.

I also purchased SSR (this year) for our "last minute" vacations. This will be mostly between Jan - Sept, where it will be easier to book other resorts at 7m, and vacations planned 2-3 months out, most likely only SSR with available rooms.

If you don't know exactly what you want, take Bill's advice and buy at a cheaper resort to test the waters.

 

[chalee94]

I understand the small contract idea and it does make sense. But 2 things I worry about that is, aren't you getting nickel and dimed by the closing costs because of this?

it adds cost, yes.

for most people, it's cheaper to simply buy one larger resale contract that fits their plans. (costs less upfront but does limit your options down the road.)

Also, do you have to take into account your UY when you purchase another contract?

that would be wise.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3283617

We are considering buying in and one of the things we have discussed is buy in at a lower cost resort for a good chunk of points (150+) and then supplement that with a 30-50 pt contract at a resort we want to buy in at.

just be aware that if you buy 200 SSR pts and then buy a 30 pt BCV contract, when you decide to book BCV at 11 months out, you will only have access to those pts from the smaller BCV contract. it will be just like you don't even own the SSR pts until you hit the 7 month window.

you can never use pts from one home resort at a different home resort for 11 month booking. it's the points themselves that have the "home resort priority", not you as the owner.

However, with Use Years, do I have to match them up? (say my 150+ is august, look for a 30-50pt. with a use year that matches?) This seems easier said than done.

as noted in the link above, it is much, much easier to book when you have one membership (i.e. a master contracts plus add-on contract(s) which are all under the same UY month). but having multiple memberships is workable if you are organized and stay on top of things.

 

[R0cky]

just be aware that if you buy 200 SSR pts and then buy a 30 pt BCV contract, when you decide to book BCV at 11 months out, you will only have access to those pts from the smaller BCV contract. it will be just like you don't even own the SSR pts until you hit the 7 month window.

you can never use pts from one home resort at a different home resort for 11 month booking. it's the points themselves that have the "home resort priority", not you as the owner.

Wow, I did not catch this with all the research I have been doing. Thank you, all of you for clearing up some of the details on this.

 

[R0cky]

I have another quick question on this. I read that if you are vacationing in November, and your UY is in August. You could still book before August because they would be in your account before you leave.

Is this information correct?

But in regards to the 11month window. You have to have enough points bought at the hotel to cover your reservation?

For example, I want to go to DW in November. I currently have 0 points in my account but i have 200 pt contract at BLT with a UY of August. I can still book this trip in January because by the time i go, the 200pts. are in my account right?

Just want to make sure i have this scenario correct.

But if i had say 150 at SSR and 50 at BLT. In January when I am booking for BLT, the system says, you have 50 points now, and 50 points for the next year for a total of 100pts to spend, what would you like to book? Which means the SSR points are completely pointless until the 7month mark, right?

Thanks again for all your help I really do appreciate it!

 

[Minniesgal]

We won a bunch of points at AKV for the bulk of our stay, a smaller amount of points at VGC so we can occasionally do West and East coast trips and a very small amount at VGF which with banking and borrowing we end our trip with 3 nights in a 1 bedroom to chill after doing the parks an do our favorite restaurants and rent boats etc.

Our philosophy is we want to have booked a trip we are happy with at 11 months. We might sometimes switch at 7 months but not always our next trips for example we will be staying at all our home resorts and nowhere else. Last trip we wanted to switch and we mostly got what we wanted we had 6 nights at the treehouse villas and 5 nights at BLT but we had to be quick at seven months. I think over time we will do more and more home resort trips. We love split stays so that helps us move at 7 months.

 

[nalajms]

But in regards to the 11month window. You have to have enough points bought at the hotel to cover your reservation?

But if i had say 150 at SSR and 50 at BLT. In January when I am booking for BLT, the system says, you have 50 points now, and 50 points for the next year for a total of 100pts to spend, what would you like to book? Which means the SSR points are completely pointless until the 7month mark, right?

Correct, it doesn't matter how many points you currently have, as long as you have the points for the check-in dates you can book at 11m. And as stated in the prior post, SSR points would be useless for a BLT reservation until the 7m mark.

 

[disneynutz]

I have another quick question on this. I read that if you are vacationing in November, and your UY is in August. You could still book before August because they would be in your account before you leave.

Is this information correct?

But in regards to the 11month window. You have to have enough points bought at the hotel to cover your reservation?

For example, I want to go to DW in November. I currently have 0 points in my account but i have 200 pt contract at BLT with a UY of August. I can still book this trip in January because by the time i go, the 200pts. are in my account right?

Just want to make sure i have this scenario correct.

But if i had say 150 at SSR and 50 at BLT. In January when I am booking for BLT, the system says, you have 50 points now, and 50 points for the next year for a total of 100pts to spend, what would you like to book? Which means the SSR points are completely pointless until the 7month mark, right?

Thanks again for all your help I really do appreciate it!

Your points have to be available in your account for the dates of your stay, not when you book.

You can always buy a smaller contract and bank the points which will give you double the amount for use every other year. One year at one home resort, the next year at your other home resort, or you can combine the points at 7 months.

Bill

 

[R0cky]

Thank you! I really appreciate the help! That was a big piece of information. But that might have solved our problem of where to buy in at.

 

[chalee94]

here is more info about UY if you need it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1942668