Disney lover for years, finally ready to buy DVC...have a few questions though!

[nala1128]

Hi All! I love these DIS boards... I have attained so much information over the years that has helped with different aspects of our planning over the years. We are a family of 4, me, my DH, DD-12 and DS-11. We have vacationed at Disney world every year for the past 9 years or so. We love Deluxe resorts and have been getting decent deals via different discounts and a few different pin codes. We have stayed WL, AKL and our favorite place the POLY many times. Many years ago, we thought about DVC, however, with a new home, 2 little kids, me stopping work to stay home with the kids it was too scary of a committment.. Of course, now I regret it, but the time was just not right for us. However, now we are in a position to buy, and are looking at the resale market. My husband really likes VWL so that is where we are looking into.

We usually travel the last week in August as we are in the Northeast and our kids start school in early September. Looking at the points chart, it seems as though around 250 points would work for us for a 1BR. Of course, the kids like Bay Lake and we would def want to use points to stay there at some time in the future too. Here are a few questions that I have:

If we usually travel in August, what would the preferred use year be? June?

If we book a 1BR at our home resort (assuming VWL) at 11 months, but really want to try a different DVC resort, if it is available at our 7 month mark, can we switch the reservation? is there any penalty or fee to do this?

Are 250 points enough?

Are there any resellers that should are recommended? to be avoided???

I am sure we will have more questions as time goes on.

TIA

 

[missymouse]

With the ages of your kids you might want to look at 2 bedroom points charts also since they may not always be happy with sharing a hide-a-bed or sleeping on the floor. There comes a time when everyone wants their own bed especially since you have one son and one daughter. Just something to consider.

June seems like a good use year for you. We normally travel in June and have a March UY which works well also. So perhaps even April or May would work for you. That would give you more possible resale contracts to look for.

 

[GOOFY D]

With the ages of your kids you might want to look at 2 bedroom points charts also since they may not always be happy with sharing a hide-a-bed or sleeping on the floor. There comes a time when everyone wants their own bed especially since you have one son and one daughter. Just something to consider.

June seems like a good use year for you. We normally travel in June and have a March UY which works well also. So perhaps even April or May would work for you. That would give you more possible resale contracts to look for.

FYI - There are no May UYs.

 

[chalee94]

If we usually travel in August, what would the preferred use year be? June?

june is a good choice for travel in june through sept. if you book a reservation for march/april/may and need to cancel, a jun UY can put you in a tough spot.

If we book a 1BR at our home resort (assuming VWL) at 11 months, but really want to try a different DVC resort, if it is available at our 7 month mark, can we switch the reservation? is there any penalty or fee to do this?

this is common - many DVCers do it. no penalties or fees...but call early when the 7 month window opens for best availability.

Are 250 points enough?

for most, nothing is ever enough.

 

[ct_chris]

You would probably want to get 275 points if you were looking to book 1/week in August at BLT, compared to 255 for VWL.

 

[disneynutz]

There are pretty strong rumors of a Poly DVC happening in a couple of years. Maybe you could rent from a owner for your stays until the Poly comes on line. That way you could check out the DVC units while saving money towards buying the Poly via resale.

Bill

 

[nala1128]

There are pretty strong rumors of a Poly DVC happening in a couple of years. Maybe you could rent from a owner for your stays until the Poly comes on line. That way you could check out the DVC units while saving money towards buying the Poly via resale.

Bill

I have heard those rumors too... That is a great suggestion, however, we are not patient enough to wait that long LOL!!! Renting is an option too, but there are some pretty good prices out there in the resale market right now too!! Decisions, Decisions

I do hope that Poly DVC comes to fruition. I can't imagine what the price per point will be!!

 

[Sandisw]

We travel in August every year because I teach and own a June UY which has worked out great!

In looking at the points charts, if you want to go for a full week, every year, then 275 would probably be a better option. It gives you the flexibility to travel during Magic season--earlier August--if that every needs to happen.

Of course, you can always borrow points and if you got 250 and needed a few extra 30 or so each year, it would take 8 years to run out of points. By then, you will have most certainly added on--or, your kids will be older and you may find doing a 5 or 6 night trip is enough!!!

Good luck!

 

[cz4ever]

Hi All! ...now we are in a position to buy, and are looking at the resale market. My husband really likes VWL so that is where we are looking into.

Welcome! General advice: Take your time, get to really understand the process (lots of posts in the DVC forums to help), and wait for the right contract. You don't need to necessarily wait for the perfect UY (June) --- it's more a matter of trying to avoid ones that might cause you to cancel within four months of the end of you year, i.e., after your banking deadline passes.

If we book a 1BR at our home resort (assuming VWL) at 11 months, but really want to try a different DVC resort, if it is available at our 7 month mark, can we switch the reservation? is there any penalty or fee to do this?

As others have said, there is no penalty or fee to cancel or change reservations and many people do what you suggest. One thing to keep in mind is that any reservations cancelled within 30 days of check-in put the points in Holding status, which you want to avoid. Those points can only be used for reservations within 60 days and cannot be banked.

Are there any resellers that should are recommended? to be avoided???

There are four or five listing agents that most people use. The two biggest and most commonly discussed ones are The Timeshare Store (Disboards sponsor --- see the link above) and Fidelity Resale. Others that specialize in DVC include ********** and DVC By Resale. DVC can be sold by any number of timeshare resellers, and people have reported finding excellent deals at non-DVC-focused resellers, but those require a lot more work to find (listings often do not include all the info you need to make an informed offer).

I recommend that you (a) sign up for each resellers mailing lists --- you inbox will start to fill with new listing information, (b) check Fidelity's website periodically since they do not send out mail for new listings, and (c) contact the resellers and let them know what kind of contract you are looking for (e.g., 200-300 point VWL contract with UY A/B/C priced under $x).

(Aside: I notice that mentions of the fourth company's name, and even the name of its owner, gets ****'d out by Disboards -- why is that? Did he do something to anger the DB mods? Since Fidelity and DVCbyResale can be mentioned, I assume it's not a matter of protecting TSS's sponsorship. Since even his name is marked, I assume it's "personal", meaning that he did something specific to get perma-banned. OP -- you'll need to google "DVC resale" and poke around to find the other commonly used reseller.)

I am sure we will have more questions as time goes on.

And we'll still be here!

 

[nala1128]

Welcome! General advice: Take your time, get to really understand the process (lots of posts in the DVC forums to help), and wait for the right contract. You don't need to necessarily wait for the perfect UY (June) --- it's more a matter of trying to avoid ones that might cause you to cancel within four months of the end of you year, i.e., after your banking deadline passes.




As others have said, there is no penalty or fee to cancel or change reservations and many people do what you suggest. One thing to keep in mind is that any reservations cancelled within 30 days of check-in put the points in Holding status, which you want to avoid. Those points can only be used for reservations within 60 days and cannot be banked.

If we did have to go into hold status... that would happen if it was within 30 days of our reservation. So if there is a June UY, and I cancel a December trip less than 30 days before travel, those points cannot be banked even though it is less than 8 months into the UY.. correct? ALso, as far as the 60 days... it doesn't have to be 60 days or less after the canceled ressie.. it has to be booked for travel date within 60 days of booking, so say I cancel a Dec ressie less than 30 days.. points now on hold...I could book in march for April or May and still use the points.. If it goes beyond June assuming a June UY, then the points are forfeited???? Is that right???

 

[nala1128]

There are four or five listing agents that most people use. The two biggest and most commonly discussed ones are The Timeshare Store (Disboards sponsor --- see the link above) and Fidelity Resale. Others that specialize in DVC include ********** and DVC By Resale. DVC can be sold by any number of timeshare resellers, and people have reported finding excellent deals at non-DVC-focused resellers, but those require a lot more work to find (listings often do not include all the info you need to make an informed offer).

I recommend that you (a) sign up for each resellers mailing lists --- you inbox will start to fill with new listing information, (b) check Fidelity's website periodically since they do not send out mail for new listings, and (c) contact the resellers and let them know what kind of contract you are looking for (e.g., 200-300 point VWL contract with UY A/B/C priced under $x).

(Aside: I notice that mentions of the fourth company's name, and even the name of its owner, gets ****'d out by Disboards -- why is that? Did he do something to anger the DB mods? Since Fidelity and DVCbyResale can be mentioned, I assume it's not a matter of protecting TSS's sponsorship. Since even his name is marked, I assume it's "personal", meaning that he did something specific to get perma-banned. OP -- you'll need to google "DVC resale" and poke around to find the other commonly used reseller.)



And we'll still be here!

Thanks for all the info!!! I did notice that everytime I searched on particular company, they came up in all the results with just asterisks... I did a BBB search and they have a good rating. I feel like I'm in a Harry Potter novel... he who shall not be named! LOL

 

[cz4ever]

If we did have to go into hold status... that would happen if it was within 30 days of our reservation. So if there is a June UY, and I cancel a December trip less than 30 days before travel, those points cannot be banked even though it is less than 8 months into the UY.. correct?

Correct. If you cancel within 30 days of the start of a reservation, the points go into Holding, regardless of other factors.

ALso, as far as the 60 days... it doesn't have to be 60 days or less after the canceled ressie.. it has to be booked for travel date within 60 days of booking, so say I cancel a Dec ressie less than 30 days.. points now on hold...I could book in march for April or May and still use the points.

Correct. Those points remain in your account for the remainder of the current UY, but can only be used for reserving trips no more than 60 days out from when you make the reservation. Also, you cannot bank points that are in Holding status, even if they would otherwise be eligible for banking.

If it goes beyond June assuming a June UY, then the points are forfeited???? Is that right???

Almost --- it's not beyond June, it's into June. June UY points are valid from June 1st through the following May 31st.

 

[nala1128]

Correct. If you cancel within 30 days of the start of a reservation, the points go into Holding, regardless of other factors.

Got it!! Do you know if there are any factors that would create an exception?... like last August when there was a Hurricane up the East Coast. I know that created travel problems for many.

 

[cz4ever]

That I do not know -- I hope one of the board elders can answer.

 

[Sandisw]

If we did have to go into hold status... that would happen if it was within 30 days of our reservation. So if there is a June UY, and I cancel a December trip less than 30 days before travel, those points cannot be banked even though it is less than 8 months into the UY.. correct? ALso, as far as the 60 days... it doesn't have to be 60 days or less after the canceled ressie.. it has to be booked for travel date within 60 days of booking, so say I cancel a Dec ressie less than 30 days.. points now on hold...I could book in march for April or May and still use the points.. If it goes beyond June assuming a June UY, then the points are forfeited???? Is that right???

Just want to clarify, your points will go into holding status if you don't cancel at least 31, not 30 days, in advance.

And yes, the points would then have to be used by May 31st or they would expire.

 

[nala1128]

Thank you everyone for all of the great information.

We negotiated and signed a contract that had all that we wanted and came inside of the budget that we had.

I was emailed earlier today that it is going to Disney for ROFR.. Fingers crossed that we pass. I guess I should post in the ROFR thread and wait with everyone else!!!

 

[cz4ever]

Thank you everyone for all of the great information.

We negotiated and signed a contract that had all that we wanted and came inside of the budget that we had.

I was emailed earlier today that it is going to Disney for ROFR.. Fingers crossed that we pass. I guess I should post in the ROFR thread and wait with everyone else!!!

Congrats and best of luck w/ ROFR!

 

[nala1128]

Congrats and best of luck w/ ROFR!

Thanks