DVC as Florida Resident and Home Resort Choice

[rwthompson82]

Hello,

I have looked at DVC in the past as a Canadian who visits every second year... however, I have recently transferred to South Florida for work, which will change things.

My thoughts are since we can already get good discounts on APs, the direct only perks will be limited for us.

We are NOT planning to do last minute things (We are looking at probably 2, 3-4 day trips per year that we can plan at least 7 months in advance and probably more).

We have two young kids (6 & 3), and would be looking primarily at 1 BR units.

We would typically like to stay at a Monorail resort or one of the Epcot/DHS resorts.

Our thoughts:
VGF - Love the resort (though never stayed in the villas). Point cost is high per night. 2064 expiration is nice. I think I will need to have a home booking window to get 1BR Standards here.
Poly - No 1 BRs means this is out for us
BLT - Like the walk to MK and transportation, but not in love with the resort.
BCV/BWV - I have only stayed at Beach Club, and I do love the resort and SAB...should be able to book 1 BR here at 7 month on occasion. 2042 makes it (especially BCV) expensive.

So we are leaning towards VGF, despite the higher points/night cost, and would hope to stay there 50% of our stays.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

VGF is an amazing resort. I am here now. We love it. If it doesn’t break the bank for you, it’s a great choice.

 

[mustinjourney]

Or you can do what I did and buy points at both BCV and VGF.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

You are in a great position to buy resale yet still get the discounted Annual passes. Not having to worry about the direct perks allows you to get a better value without wondering if you missed out.

As far as which to buy you seem quite familiar with the resorts. I think it all comes down to where you love to stay. I own at BLT and BWV. In the last year we did our first stays at both VGF and BCV so got to experience those as well. All four resorts are fantastic in their own ways. BLT/BWV initial cost will be cheaper than VGF/BCV and points will go farther per night. BLT/BWV have standard rooms which can be some of the best values in the DVC system. But as far as deciding between these choices I usually have the same advice:

If you want a MK resort and can look out your window while staying at BLT and stare at the VGF and not be bummed you aren't staying there, buy BLT. If you are going to spend 40 years of vacations wishing you were at the GF, pay more and buy there.

Same goes for BWV/BCV debate. If you can stay at BWV and walk by Stormalong bay and not be bummed you can't use it, buy BWV. If that pool is going to gnaw at your soul each trip, buy BCV

You also might consider 2 contracts...one at a MK resort and one at EPCOT resort. We did and are very happy with our choices. Good luck either way!

 

[rwthompson82]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Definitely leaning towards VGF, just have to wait for the right contract to come up.

 

[Dean]

Hello,

I have looked at DVC in the past as a Canadian who visits every second year... however, I have recently transferred to South Florida for work, which will change things.

My thoughts are since we can already get good discounts on APs, the direct only perks will be limited for us.

We are NOT planning to do last minute things (We are looking at probably 2, 3-4 day trips per year that we can plan at least 7 months in advance and probably more).

We have two young kids (6 & 3), and would be looking primarily at 1 BR units.

We would typically like to stay at a Monorail resort or one of the Epcot/DHS resorts.

Our thoughts:
VGF - Love the resort (though never stayed in the villas). Point cost is high per night. 2064 expiration is nice. I think I will need to have a home booking window to get 1BR Standards here.
Poly - No 1 BRs means this is out for us
BLT - Like the walk to MK and transportation, but not in love with the resort.
BCV/BWV - I have only stayed at Beach Club, and I do love the resort and SAB...should be able to book 1 BR here at 7 month on occasion. 2042 makes it (especially BCV) expensive.

So we are leaning towards VGF, despite the higher points/night cost, and would hope to stay there 50% of our stays.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

If you'll stay mostly at VGF, the may be your best choice. BLT will be much cheaper overall due to lower costs and lower number of points esp the standard view option. You might consider BRV, I wouldn't let the 2042 expiration alone deter you.

 

[Jerry@dvcstore]

If you are planning to book more than 7 months in advance, we always recommend purchasing the resort you love and preferred to stay at. This way you will have your home booking window (up to 11 months out) at your favorite resort, and the ability to use any resort at 7 months or less.
If you are planning to book less than 7 months in advance, we recommend the best economic value which is Saratoga Springs. Points are points at 7 months or less, so you can save on a purchase at Saratoga Springs and still have a 7 month booking window at any DVC location.

 

[Axelskater]

I own at VGF, BLT, and SSR. VGF and BLT are both excellent choices and SSR is great for value. I first bought BLT because it was selling at a steep discount to VGF but eventually also purchased VGF because it is the nicest resort. I like both equally since VGF is the crown jewel of the DVC resorts in Disney World and BLT has the best views of any resort, 2 full baths in a 1BR, walk to MK and easy access to Top Of The World for nightcaps. VGF has better pool options so the kids might enjoy that resort better. I usually rent a car and have found that parking at other resorts is easy but if I'm not staying at a Magic Kingdom resort, the transportation to MK is a bit more of a hassle since you have to take a bus or drive and go through the TTC. You correctly point out that because of fewer remaining years in BCV, it's the most expensive. If you anticipate staying at VGF for the majority of your stays then I recommend purchasing there.

 

[kboo]

Hello,

I have looked at DVC in the past as a Canadian who visits every second year... however, I have recently transferred to South Florida for work, which will change things.

My thoughts are since we can already get good discounts on APs, the direct only perks will be limited for us.

We are NOT planning to do last minute things (We are looking at probably 2, 3-4 day trips per year that we can plan at least 7 months in advance and probably more).

We have two young kids (6 & 3), and would be looking primarily at 1 BR units.

We would typically like to stay at a Monorail resort or one of the Epcot/DHS resorts.

Our thoughts:
VGF - Love the resort (though never stayed in the villas). Point cost is high per night. 2064 expiration is nice. I think I will need to have a home booking window to get 1BR Standards here.
Poly - No 1 BRs means this is out for us
BLT - Like the walk to MK and transportation, but not in love with the resort.
BCV/BWV - I have only stayed at Beach Club, and I do love the resort and SAB...should be able to book 1 BR here at 7 month on occasion. 2042 makes it (especially BCV) expensive.

So we are leaning towards VGF, despite the higher points/night cost, and would hope to stay there 50% of our stays.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

This was exactly our analysis, except we initially thought we might stay in studios some of the time.

Or you can do what I did and buy points at both BCV and VGF.

Or like us, BLT & VGF.

...
As far as which to buy you seem quite familiar with the resorts. I think it all comes down to where you love to stay. I own at BLT and BWV. In the last year we did our first stays at both VGF and BCV so got to experience those as well. All four resorts are fantastic in their own ways. BLT/BWV initial cost will be cheaper than VGF/BCV and points will go farther per night. BLT/BWV have standard rooms which can be some of the best values in the DVC system. But as far as deciding between these choices I usually have the same advice:

If you want a MK resort and can look out your window while staying at BLT and stare at the VGF and not be bummed you aren't staying there, buy BLT. If you are going to spend 40 years of vacations wishing you were at the GF, pay more and buy there.

Same goes for BWV/BCV debate. If you can stay at BWV and walk by Stormalong bay and not be bummed you can't use it, buy BWV. If that pool is going to gnaw at your soul each trip, buy BCV

You also might consider 2 contracts...one at a MK resort and one at EPCOT resort. We did and are very happy with our choices. Good luck either way!

You have the resort mix that I "wish" I had. Well, actually, I really wish I had BLT, VGF and then BWV.

To the OP: We have stayed at BLT 2x (1br std, 2br LV), BWV (1br P&G), VGF (std studio), BCV (studio). We have a 6yo and 2.5yo, so similar family. We first bought BLT thinking we'd alternate studios/1BR, now realizing we really REALLY like 1BR+ at BLT, and wish we'd bought enough points to do 1BR+ every year. The plan then was to get BWV or BCV. DH loves SAB, but it's not really great for young kids. Our 6yo can swim, but our 2.5yo cannot. So practically speaking, 1 parent has to go with the 6yo to the inner tube section or water slides, while the other parent stays in the sandy bottom area with the younger one. So - not great for family time. Also, the BCV building is sort of tucked away - some people don't mind it, but there's no view categories there for a reason. BWV only has lock off 2BR (no dedicated), but I really liked it and it's one of my favorite resorts at WDW, plus walking to 2 parks and the BW area is a big plus. But we really couldn't stomach the short end date. And everyone in our family loves the Floridian (we hadn't expected to; it seemed sort of "old lady-ish" to me, until we stayed at the hotel). So - we made a few failed offers on BCV, BWV as prices kept going up. Then we saw a good VGF contract that we got at $135pp when BCV, BLT and BWV were all in the same price range! It became a no brainer for us.

We are staying in standard views at BLT for our first stays on our own points, and I have to say they are a great value and perfect for our family now. Walking to MK and not having to rely in transportation when you still have kids in strollers is a real plus. Also it was super convenient for us to take ODD to TOTWL for fireworks while the other parent put YDD to bed; it also made it easy to stay later at MK and we caught the fireworks show from Main St. at 7pm last trip and still had the girls in bed by 8. Magical. And the standard views at BLT and VGF are really pretty nice (with a few exceptions, most std views there would be upgraded views anywhere else)

We are thrilled with our VGF points too, though we will likely only use them for VGF because the points were so expensive. BLT will end up being our "sleep-around" points if/when we ever decide to sleep around. But right now we are so happy with BLT that we will probably stay there at least part of each trip. My perfect trip would be 9-10 days with 4-5 days at an MK resort and 4-5 days at an EP resort. If we take a longer summer vacation, we will maybe use our BLT points to get a 1BR at BCV or BWV. I don't see us being into Riviera since we like walking everywhere, and my guess is the price point will be too high, but stranger things have happened.

 

[rwthompson82]

we caught the fireworks show from Main St. at 7pm last trip and still had the girls in bed by 8. Magical

That is my dream vacation night, although we have one of each

Thanks so much for your feedback! We are going to start with VGF and see how it goes. We also got VGF @ $135/pp (so long as it doesn't get ROFRd), so it was not really much more expensive than BLT, and the slightly longer end date makes me happy. We also love dining there and at the Poly. We have enough points for 5 nights a year (3 nights 1BR, 2 nights studio), which is great for us for now, and if we decide to add on later, we can do that too. Since we are local, we are planning two shorter trips a year - which is much easier for us to schedule than longer trips.