Considering purchasing DVC

[dcrippin15]

So my wife and I are considering buying into a DVC, especially now that the kids are older.
Just looking for some insight in regards to direct purchase rather than resale.
Some odd and end things that either make you love or hate it, etc.
Anything and everything is appreciated and will definitely help guide us one way or another.
Home resort doesn't matter to me per say, just want enough points to do my 2-3 trips a year like I'm currently doing
Thanks in advance

 

[mousehockey37]

I know this isn't the best response, but use the search box. There's a ton of useful information on this board, with many threads like this started pretty much everyday.

I'm sure all your questions are answered on here, you just gotta look!

 

[LAX]

So my wife and I are considering buying into a DVC, especially now that the kids are older.
Just looking for some insight in regards to direct purchase rather than resale.
Some odd and end things that either make you love or hate it, etc.
Anything and everything is appreciated and will definitely help guide us one way or another.
Home resort doesn't matter to me per say, just want enough points to do my 2-3 trips a year like I'm currently doing
Thanks in advance

Does this mean you are happy staying at SSR, OKW, or possibly AKV nearly every trip for the next 20-30 years? Or perhaps you don't travel during high-demand DVC times (quite different from the typical high-season travel times)?

LAX

 

[dcrippin15]

Does this mean you are happy staying at SSR, OKW, or possibly AKV nearly every trip for the next 20-30 years? Or perhaps you don't travel during high-demand DVC times (quite different from the typical high-season travel times)?

LAX

Typically travel last week in April/First week in May, sometime in September (middle usually) and than First week in December.
Personally I love AKV; I've only ever stayed at Kidani Village at AKV. My wife and I like it and the kids love the live savanna. I'd prefer OKW over SSR, honestly though until I get to a point where I'll be doing a strictly resort stay with no parks, which is probably very far away (my kids are 3 & 6) the resort is just a place for me to lay my head and splash around in the pool for a little bit
Only resort I have stayed on that is part of the DVC is the Poly, which is definitely at the top of my preferred list but the maintenance fees are also the highest there.

 

[LAX]

Typically travel last week in April/First week in May, sometime in September (middle usually) and than First week in December.
Personally I love AKV; I've only ever stayed at Kidani Village at AKV. My wife and I like it and the kids love the live savanna. I'd prefer OKW over SSR, honestly though until I get to a point where I'll be doing a strictly resort stay with no parks, which is probably very far away (my kids are 3 & 6) the resort is just a place for me to lay my head and splash around in the pool for a little bit
Only resort I have stayed on that is part of the DVC is the Poly, which is definitely at the top of my preferred list but the maintenance fees are also the highest there.

For your Sep and Dec stays, you will likely be staying in the home resort unless you are okay with moving around for a split stay (maybe that would be difficult for high-demand resorts). My point was that you really need to think hard about your home resort unless you are truly happy staying anywhere (sounds like you are). Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for years of disappointment and frustration. I know one attractive feature of DVC is the ability to stay at other DVC resorts, but you must be flexible to make that work in your favor.

LAX

 

[disneynutz]

I would start by scanning the threads in this section. Your questions are asked a couple of times per week, after getting an idea of how the DVC runs and the different resorts, you will be in a good position to ask additional questions and to use your new knowledge to possibility make an educated purchase. DVC might save you some money on your room but DVC also will cause you to vacation at Disney more often so your vacation cost actually increases.

Bill

 

[dcrippin15]

I would start by scanning the threads in this section. Your questions are asked a couple of times per week, after getting an idea of how the DVC runs and the different resorts, you will be in a good position to ask additional questions and to use your new knowledge to possibility make an educated purchase. DVC might save you some money on your room but DVC also will cause you to vacation at Disney more often so your vacation cost actually increases.

Bill

I have a pretty good idea of how the DVC works. How's points work, 7/11 month marks on how it works. I have a pretty decent knowledge of the resorts offered by the DVC. My main questions was regarding resale/direct purchase and if there was anything that would make someone reconsider the purchase (if they would have gone resale rather than direct)
Are the perks worth paying direct sale prices rather than going resale, etc.

 

[disneynutz]

I have a pretty good idea of how the DVC works. How's points work, 7/11 month marks on how it works. I have a pretty decent knowledge of the resorts offered by the DVC. My main questions was regarding resale/direct purchase and if there was anything that would make someone reconsider the purchase (if they would have gone resale rather than direct)
Are the perks worth paying direct sale prices rather than going resale, etc.

Only you can decide if the perks are worth it, IMO they are mostly a smoke screen. DVC is best used for DVC stays only, you need to understand UY, DVC availability, home resort priority, how DVD sells, and dues rates.

Bill

 

[_auroraborealis_]

First two weeks in December you will stay at home resort. Choose wisely.

Unless you want CCV or PVB, it is very hard to make an economic argument for direct purchase. If you want CCV in December, buy a fixed week.

 

[ELMC]

I have a pretty good idea of how the DVC works. How's points work, 7/11 month marks on how it works. I have a pretty decent knowledge of the resorts offered by the DVC. My main questions was regarding resale/direct purchase and if there was anything that would make someone reconsider the purchase (if they would have gone resale rather than direct)
Are the perks worth paying direct sale prices rather than going resale, etc.

The super short answer is to buy resale and then consider adding on 25 points direct to get the membership card for discounts on annual passes. That is the most cost effective way to get the perks. That's very oversimplified, but it is the majority (not entire) opinion here on the boards.

 

[ziravan]

Buy resale and add on 25 pts direct to same resort and UY you buy.

That will give you perks which you'll prob want since you are going often enough to buy APs for 4.

First though, stop and look hard at home resort. You'll need it for Dec for sure and prob for Sept too.

The first week of Dec is the busiest DVC week. You will not routinely piece together a 7 month trip then. And. It's only getting more difficult.

There are 3 philosophies of buying:

1. Buy the cheapest combo of price/maint fees/length of contract. Everybody agrees that's SSR.

2. Buy where you don't mind staying.

3. Buy where you want to stay.

I subscribe to number 3.

 

[Dean]

Spend a good 6 months investigating. The first question is whether DVC makes sense. That includes being able to afford it (to me that's pay cash), plan at least 7 months out, value staying on property enough to pay more and are OK with the compromises of a timeshare. If that's a go, the other is less important but still is important. I'd only buy retail for 50 points or less or for something you can't save significant $$$ on resale that you WILL use almost all of the time. Therefore I wouldn't buy Poly or similar unless you plan to stay there maybe 80-90% of the time. Between SSR & OKW, I'd buy SSR even if you plan to stay more at OKW. Cheaper dues, longer RTU and more options overall sine getting OKW isn't that difficult.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When other posters say you will be staying in your home resort for Sept and Dec, they mean you need to book your home resort at 11 months out and be happy you got that reservation. It will be hard to change your reservation at seven months out. Buy where you don't mind staying if you cannot change the reservation at seven months out.

 

[rg35]

Another thing to consider is whether or not you will always be traveling those same weeks as your kids get older.

IMO as they move on in school it gets harder and harder to justify pulling them out for a week for vacations and having them fall behind, miss out on test prep, etc.

 

[ahen]

Buy resale and add on 25 pts direct to same resort and UY you buy.

That will give you perks which you'll prob want since you are going often enough to buy APs for 4.

First though, stop and look hard at home resort. You'll need it for Dec for sure and prob for Sept too.

The first week of Dec is the busiest DVC week. You will not routinely piece together a 7 month trip then. And. It's only getting more difficult.

There are 3 philosophies of buying:

1. Buy the cheapest combo of price/maint fees/length of contract. Everybody agrees that's SSR.

2. Buy where you don't mind staying.

3. Buy where you want to stay.

I subscribe to number 3.

Okay We are considering buying, I really want to and have my husband talked pretty much into it. I'm narrowing down our choices, but once question My birthday is the beginning of November and my Husbands is the beginning of December. So what use month do you think we should look for? I am used to planning months in advance but we usually like to stay in the Oct-Feb range, and sometimes at the beginning of May.

 

[Dean]

Okay We are considering buying, I really want to and have my husband talked pretty much into it. I'm narrowing down our choices, but once question My birthday is the beginning of November and my Husbands is the beginning of December. So what use month do you think we should look for? I am used to planning months in advance but we usually like to stay in the Oct-Feb range, and sometimes at the beginning of May.

If you're consistently Oct to Feb and rarely May, I'd do Oct, Sept if there's much chance you'll start stays the last weekend of Sept.

 

[ahen]

If you're consistently Oct to Feb and rarely May, I'd do Oct, Sept if there's much chance you'll start stays the last weekend of Sept.

Thanks, that has been what I have been trying to figure out.

 

[Dean]

Thanks, that has been what I have been trying to figure out.

The thing that UY does is give you flexibility and insurance. It's worth a good years worth of points if you have a good UY and your travel patterns are consistent. If you're in a situation where UY doesn't help, the inherent risk of ownership is higher. But there are other variables such as your personal situation including health and risk of having to cancel.

 

[Popouri DVC]

The more we have been to Disney, the more we have been interested in what the resorts have to offer. Annual passes have changed us from being "rope drop to park close" people to those who go back to the resort in the afternoon for a meal/ nap. We eat in the resort ts restaurants. And once we had DVC and weren't shelling out for the cost of the room, we went to Disney even more.

All this means that your choice of home resort should be made WISELY. You'll spend more time there than you think, especially over the life of a contract that could last up to fifty years.