Do I have this right?

[ms_mckenna]

I am trying to figure points as a start to see if this is a good decision for us or not. We adopted 4 children in the last 2 years and apparently are going to end up with a rather large tax credit. We want to use a chunk of that one the kids so we would be paying cash and not financing. We were considering a trip to WDW with all 6 kiddos of course we need a 2 bedroom villa in order to do that. So I started looking at costs for points etc instead of just going (looks like around 10k for our hotel alone for a reg book through Disney vaca). I am looking on the resale site at points costs etc. If we love the Epcot area typically stay at Beach and need a 2 bedroom villa. We go once every 2 years. Looks like 300 every 2 years. So questions :
I would want to buy in at around 150 points is that correct?
If we bought it at BCV for 150 points we would look at about 800 a year in fees. Is that right? What other fees am I missing I am sure there are some lol.
Thanks in advance I am super green on this and pretty confused

 

[Ln42]

Once the initial cost of the DVC is paid off, you just have maintenence fees per year. You should expect they will go up somewhat each year.

There are some nice member perks like 100 dollars off an annual pass to the theme parks, discounts at some restaurants or behind the scene tours, free WIFI in the rooms but its important to remember that any perk can come and go and they have in the past.

Good luck deciding. Sounds like you figured out your point value correctly if you wish to travel every other year and not during the peak seasons. Point values can be changed each year if they want to but if one category is increased somewhere then another will go down somewhere else. I believe point values have changed 3 times in the history of the DVC but someone else can tell you better on that.

Happy researching!

 

[disneynutz]

Don't forget the cost of transportation, food, admission, and misc expenses every two years for as log as you own the contract.

Bill

 

[disneyishome]

I think the cost is worth it. You can buy an annual pass if you go a lot, or you can buy a 10 day no expire option with the waterpark option added. That gives you 20 days to play at a fairly low price and Disney will upgrade your child's ticket to adult when they hit the adult age.

Having the two bedroom is nice. You and your husband can stay up late or get up early and have private time. You can cook breakfast in your room. Also, if you are strapped for cash you can vacation at Hilton Head or Vero and cook all of your meals. Still a great vacation, but not high in cost.

 

[ms_mckenna]

Don't forget the cost of transportation, food, admission, and misc expenses every two years for as log as you own the contract.

Bill

Oh most definitely We are looking at 10 k for cost of room only so that is what we are basing our info on.
I am honestly thinking for us it would be an insanely good deal. I could be completely losing my mind but I just do not see the draw backs. It seems like we would basically be paying the cost of at most 2 room part of the vacations and then looking at paying the 1k a year or more if it goes up for the next 13 ones. So in all honesty they could take the price of the annual fees up a ton before it becomes not worth our while.
Am I missing the catch here lol.

 

[ToddyLu]

No you are right on target. With resale you will negotiate the price per point with the seller through the realtor, then probably pay a closing cost. You want a contract that is not stripped if you are going soon, or you can purchase a stripped contract if you are not going say until late 2011 or 2012. You can have the MFs taken out monthly or every year in total in January. I would maybe buy 10 more points just in case there is a small adjustment over the next year or two. I would also see what other 2 br cost in points just in case you want to change at 7 months and stay in another resort. We purchased 210 for this reason. Currently you can purchase 24 extra points per year from MS, but they can only be purchased at the 7 month mark. I don't know if it would be worth it to need those points when you probably need to get the 2 br booked at the 11 month mark. But the availablilty for that is there---however it is a "perk" and may not be around long.

You sound like you have been doing your research. I would also pay attention to use year...just in case you need to cancel if one of the kids gets sick or you run into other problems. UY can be important if you have to cancel your trip. With so many children in school you want to have this UY occur just before your yearly trip.

So you are righ ton the money so far. It is hard to think that you are not missing something when you crunch the numbers and see that with DVC you can come out ahead. There are no hidden numbers or costs that I can see.

Congratulations on your growing family, I am sure the children will have wonderful memories of their Magical Place.

 

[ms_mckenna]

Thank you all for your help I am gradually getting it but it is all so confusing. I am trying to read UY info and my husband is snoring in my ear (not helpful at all). If we travel typically between Sept and Dec I assume we should look at no more than 7 months prior to Dec for a UY is that right? So no May so I guess June UY would be good for us?
I keep thinking I am getting this and pull back another layer to figure out. I guess after this it will be the home resort issues lol.
Thank you all again for your help
And thank you Toddylu we are very very blessed to have all our children home with us forever now and want to start building our lives together. We are huge Disney fans so that is going to be a very special part of it.

 

[Ln42]

Another consideration if/when you get there is the size of the contracts you purchase. If you want 150 points, you might consider getting a 100 pt contract and a 50 pt contract. On resale you would have 2 closing costs to pay but they are viewed separately and either or can be sold later if your needs change. Smaller contracts tend to sell quicker and for more money. Use year should be considered too if you go for multiple contracts. Some would say to stick with the same UY to keep things simplified.

You are on the right track doing your research. There is much to learn and ask about before purchasing. The boards helped me tremendously when we were in that phase.

 

[JimMIA]

Another consideration if/when you get there is the size of the contracts you purchase. If you want 150 points, you might consider getting a 100 pt contract and a 50 pt contract. On resale you would have 2 closing costs to pay but they are viewed separately and either or can be sold later if your needs change. Smaller contracts tend to sell quicker and for more money. Use year should be considered too if you go for multiple contracts. Some would say to stick with the same UY to keep things simplified.

You are on the right track doing your research. There is much to learn and ask about before purchasing. The boards helped me tremendously when we were in that phase.

I doubt if splitting 150 points into 100 and 50 would make any difference in marketability down the road. This is a bad market for sellers, and still anything less than 150 points is selling pretty quickly.

Also, finding two BCV contracts that size resale (and having them clear ROFR) would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

OP -- you might want to consider getting a few more points than what you think you absolutely will need.

DVC can't change the overall number of points at a specific resort, but they can and do occasionally adjust the points costs between different sized villas or nights of the week. So your semi-annual vacation points costs could change a bit over time -- even for the same unit during the same season.

You want to be sure you have enough points without being forced into an add-on or a shortened trip.

 

[ms_mckenna]

Ok we are looking at buying 150 or 160 could probably go up to a max of around 175 though I would rather add on later. We go every other year for 7 nights 8 days. This may change once our little ones get bigger but now we are looking at one year Disney one year somewhere else for our big vacations. Looks like a week would cost us at a weekly rate of between 267 and 296. I just looked at BLT and we will not be staying there right now lol. Am I right in thinking 150 would be ok for us?

Also if we love BCV we should buy in there correct? I am thinking that finding a 2 bedroom at 7 months out even at non peak times is going to be impossible am I wrong? Or can we book a 2 bedroom at our home resort and then when 7 rolls around transfer the ressie to another resort if they have an opending?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Or can we book a 2 bedroom at our home resort and then when 7 rolls around transfer the ressie to another resort if they have an opending?

Yes! You can definitely book at your home resort 11 mos out, then try to change at 7 mos. If nothing is immediately available you can ask to be waitlisted. Just make sure your home resort is a place you wouldn't have a problem staying at if that's where you end up having to stay.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

If we travel typically between Sept and Dec I assume we should look at no more than 7 months prior to Dec for a UY is that right? So no May so I guess June UY would be good for us?

Your use year has nothing to do with when you make reservations. If you feel your travel plans won't change, then you should go with a Sept. UY. Ideally you want to choose a use year that allows you to use your points early on, and if for some reason you don't -- you still have plenty of time to bank the points into the next year to avoid losing them. With a Sept UY you'd have until the last day of April to bank your points. Clear as mud?

 

[ms_mckenna]

Your use year has nothing to do with when you make reservations. If you feel your travel plans won't change, then you should go with a Sept. UY. Ideally you want to choose a use year that allows you to use your points early on, and if for some reason you don't -- you still have plenty of time to bank the points into the next year to avoid losing them. With a Sept UY you'd have until the last day of April to bank your points. Clear as mud? :teeth:

Absolutely lol.
Thank you though. I think it makes sense what you said anyway
On the home resort front. Is it worth the money I would save buying into SSR or OKW instead of buying BCV? We prefer to be more than likely at BCV although we have never stayed at the Villas just the hotel itself.

 

[Ln42]

I doubt if splitting 150 points into 100 and 50 would make any difference in marketability down the road. This is a bad market for sellers, and still anything less than 150 points is selling pretty quickly.

Also, finding two BCV contracts that size resale (and having them clear ROFR) would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

You make a good point that what is marketable today could easily change in the future. I do like the flexibility of the multiple smaller contracts because if your needs change in the future, you can sell one of the contracts and adjust visits to say every 3rd year or book a smaller room category if the larger one is no longer needed. I wasn't aware that ROFR would enter into smaller contracts not making it through resale. That is why I love these boards, I continue to learn. This economy does provide a lot of opportunities for the buyer so I just throw that possiblility into the mix.

 

[JimMIA]

Ok we are looking at buying 150 or 160 could probably go up to a max of around 175 though I would rather add on later. We go every other year for 7 nights 8 days. This may change once our little ones get bigger but now we are looking at one year Disney one year somewhere else for our big vacations. Looks like a week would cost us at a weekly rate of between 267 and 296. I just looked at BLT and we will not be staying there right now lol. Am I right in thinking 150 would be ok for us?

Yes, I think you've figured it out as closely as anyone can, and 150-160 should be the right range. 175 might be overkill unless you find your stays getting a little longer, or you start taking 2 4-day trips instead of one week long trip. Once you are a member, you can add on for as little as 25 points, although DVC's direct price currently is an obscene $115 per point.

Also, if you decide to stay at some of the other resorts, you'll find some of the points costs are a little less. In fact, a stay at OKW would generally cost you about 40% fewer points than BCV. So if you have one trip where you stay an extra day or spend a few more points, you can adust on the next trip by staying at another resort where the points costs are less.

Also if we love BCV we should buy in there correct? I am thinking that finding a 2 bedroom at 7 months out even at non peak times is going to be impossible am I wrong? Or can we book a 2 bedroom at our home resort and then when 7 rolls around transfer the ressie to another resort if they have an opending?

You can book and switch, but there's a catch that may trip you up.

Booking and switching is easy if you have plentiful points. At seven months, you just call, book the resort you want to switch to, and then cancel your existing reservation. However, for that few minutes it takes to complete the transactions, you have to have enough points to carry both reservations.

You're going to be operating on barely enough points, so you won't be able to do that and you would have to check availability, cancel, and then book. The problem is sometimes when you do that, the availability vanishes while you are canceling the initial reservation and then you have nothing.

Would that happen to you? Probably not, but it has happened to others and is possible.

 

[JimMIA]

Also if we love BCV we should buy in there correct?

Ordinarily, I'm a bit of a skeptic on "buy where you want to stay," because I think a lot of people just accept cliches rather than thinking through how they apply to their particular family's situation.

In your case, however, I think you've thought things out pretty carefully, and IF you can reliably book vacations 11 months out, I would say buy BCV. The reason for my saying that is the times of year when you expect to travel. Part of your typical travel period will be during Food & Wine and you will definitely benefit from having home resort advantage. And part of your travel will be during the heaviest period for DVC -- Thanksgiving - New Years. For BCV, during those periods and needing a two-bedroom, you are going to need to book as soon as the 11-month window opens.

I can throw in a whole bunch of what-ifs (your preferences may change as the little kids get older, you may find the much larger space of OKW 2 bedrooms more important than the BCV ambiance, etc) -- but where you are now, if you can book early in the 11 month window most years, I would say go with BCV.

 

[high meadows]

Even if you are buying on the secondary market, you might want to meet with a DVC guide to review and understand the booking process. They are very no-pressure and good sources of clarifying explanations. We learned our DVC purchase (new, from DVC, silly us) paid for itself (saved us an equal amount in hotel costs) after seven trips. Now, is's nearly free lodging. We also go on alternate years and take more and more grandchildren. They take rides, we golf. Yea!

 

[high meadows]

Remember that as the kids grow you may find another resort meets your needs better. We bought WL but almost always stay at OKW for the golfers and the quiet. (And for Olivia's)

 

[JimMIA]

Even if you are buying on the secondary market, you might want to meet with a DVC guide to review and understand the booking process.

For an understanding of anything DVC, I would get your information HERE. I think you'll get much more accurate and helpful information here on the DIS.

They are very no-pressure and good sources of clarifying explanations.

They are low pressure for the most part, and their integrity varies all over the ballpark.

We learned our DVC purchase (new, from DVC, silly us) paid for itself (saved us an equal amount in hotel costs) after seven trips.

 

[ms_mckenna]

Yes, I think you've figured it out as closely as anyone can, and 150-160 should be the right range. 175 might be overkill unless you find your stays getting a little longer, or you start taking 2 4-day trips instead of one week long trip. Once you are a member, you can add on for as little as 25 points, although DVC's direct price currently is an obscene $115 per point.

Would that happen to you? Probably not, but it has happened to others and is possible.

Thank you for making me feel more comfy about my points choice. I fully expect that as the years progress we will feel the need to buy more and we actually have talked about around 25 a year being a sane amount to look for. It would be an amount we could fairly easily pay cash for since that is our main goal to remain as debt free as possible lol.

Ordinarily, I'm a bit of a skeptic on "buy where you want to stay," because I think a lot of people just accept cliches rather than thinking through how they apply to their particular family's situation.

In your case, however, I think you've thought things out pretty carefully, and IF you can reliably book vacations 11 months out, I would say buy BCV. The reason for my saying that is the times of year when you expect to travel. Part of your typical travel period will be during Food & Wine and you will definitely benefit from having home resort advantage. And part of your travel will be during the heaviest period for DVC -- Thanksgiving - New Years. For BCV, during those periods and needing a two-bedroom, you are going to need to book as soon as the 11-month window opens.

I can throw in a whole bunch of what-ifs (your preferences may change as the little kids get older, you may find the much larger space of OKW 2 bedrooms more important than the BCV ambiance, etc) -- but where you are now, if you can book early in the 11 month window most years, I would say go with BCV.

Sadly I would love to blame the choice of resorts on the age of our children. It is my husbands main argument when I try to appeal to his financial sense. I do know we had just two teens and we still stayed at BC. He fully considers OKW and SS off property. Don't get me started about the convo we had when I tried to book a value hotel for a quick trip. I think we will probably remain in the Epcot area till the day we die.

Even if you are buying on the secondary market, you might want to meet with a DVC guide to review and understand the booking process. They are very no-pressure and good sources of clarifying explanations. We learned our DVC purchase (new, from DVC, silly us) paid for itself (saved us an equal amount in hotel costs) after seven trips. Now, is's nearly free lodging. We also go on alternate years and take more and more grandchildren. They take rides, we golf. Yea!

We met with one the last trip we had to Disney. I was not to terribly impressed with the gentleman we spoke with. I was just wanting basic info to start thinking on it. I made it very clear to him that we were about to start fostering and adopt but we had no idea how many children we would end up with or what their needs would be. We were simply not ready to purchase but we were at Disney and I wanted to see it with my own two eyes since we planned on buying before we came back. He wanted me to buy enough for a GV at BCV for a week a year. I must say I am glad I didn't listen.