We are very interested in becoming DVC members... will they give us any more info at the tour that I haven't already read up on myself? DH and I are going to WDW next weekend for a couple days without the kids and if we don't have to, we don't want to waste our time on a tour hearing what we already know... does that make sense? TIA!
We didn't. Hubby just called DVC,told them what we wanted and voila! We have 2 150 pt contracts at BWV. On a trip last year we walked from Epcot to the Swan to meet my mom. We loved the look of BWV and that was that.
I would take the tour if I were you, no matter how much I read up on. You may have questions that you don't even know of right now, and you may receive info that you weren't aware of. The DVC knows people are very busy on their vacation and will do everything possible to make it convenient for you. Did you know that they will pick you up wherever you designate and take you to wherever you'd like to go, park/resort/Downtown Disney, after the tour?
Plus we got VIP fastpasses for taking the tour(even ones for the boys, who really enjoyed the kids area while we talked). We skipped the room tour, since we were staying at SSR and knew we wanted to book mainly 2brs.
It depends on how comfortable with what you have read. I did the tour because I wanted to see SSR, the rooms, etc. But, given the expense and the commitment, I needed to see what I was getting myself into. We received meal vouchers for the whole family last year, and the kids loved the playroom and sundaes. Have you been to SSR or the other villas? Pictures are nice, but to see it was better for me. You can call DVC ahead of time and schedule it for a convenient time.
I purchased without seeing and went on a tour about a month before my membership officially began. I decided to take a look around and called my guide. He gave me an abbreviated tour. However, he was willing to show me areas not "normally" on the tour because I had new questions (i.e. what does the spa look like? What kind of community events are being held, how big is the exercise room, etc). I didn't view it as a "waste of time" but rather viewed it as a "free" behind the scene tour. It was insightful and fun, part of my vacation trip and not a side trip away from my vacation trip. Now I didn't get any fast pass or the such. But the ice cream was good! The only probably was how much I wanted to stay there but couldn't. I'm really looking forward to my next Disney vacation staying at my home at SS now.
You can also do a phone tour, which is a good way to get the official information, as well as an Info/DVD packet in the mail. BTW, we purchased at SSR sight unseen after reading up here on the DIS.
I would definately take the tour. I just bought over the phone- but I really wanted to take the tour before I made my choice. If I was planning on spending that much $$$ and I was going to be in the neighborhood anyway, I would do it. When we go next December my mom is going to take the tour and I am going with her just because I think it looks interesting.
Thank you so much for all of your advice! I think we are going to take the tour... you guys made a good point about seeing what your actually buying! Anyone know the number to call to set up the tour? Thanks again!
If you know when you'd like to take the tour, you can call 1-800-800-9100 and set it up right now. You can also set up a tour by calling from your WDW room phone on your next trip (there is a number designated right on the room phone at WDW resorts), or stop at any DVC kiosk to set up the tour. DVC kiosks are found in all Theme Parks, DD and in every WDW resort near the check-in area. Enjoy!
We bought resale with no tour - and bought BWV having never been in the area. The advice on this board (plus the description on other sites) was enough to understand how the program worked. We did lots of web surfing for photos, so we knew what it looked like. The only thing we didn't get a feel for was room size - when you pull out the sofabed in the non-OKW resorts you aren't going to be doing an aerobics routine in the space that is left over - but that wasn't surprising (I did expect a little more space when the pullout was out).
Ditto. We did exactly the same. And then we added VWL points without having been to BWV once yet! We did just get to BWV in December and we're sure we made the right decision.
we never took the tour and had never seen SSR when we joined last year with SSR being our home resort. We had seen some of the other resorts before - VWL, BCV, BWV, so we sort of knew what to expect. We're Disnery freaks (at least I am ) so we had no hesitation buying into DVC and picking SSR for the home resort. Good Luck ! Joe
I think it was implied but when you talk to your DVC Guide (salesperson), you can let them know that you only want to spend "X" amount of time on the tour and they will work to your schedule. I think that the best scenario before taking the tour is that you know how DVC works and have all your questions asked and answered before taking the tour. That way, the tour is simply a walk through of the accommodations and a feel for the layouts, etc. If you aren't asking a lot of questions about how DVC works, there is no reason it should take a long time. One other thing. Sometimes, Disney offers an incentive during a tour, and they usually only give 72 hours for the person to accept. So again, the tour is best if it is the last item on the decision list so you be ready if anything is offered. I'm not saying that there will be a special incentive, but if there is you want to be prepared.
we are doing the tour in february so do they give you have a choice of line vouchers or lunch & if lunch which place to eat at or both? cheryl
