DVC Hotel Tour... is it available?

[lpoeppelman]

We are deciding on DVC. I would like to view a couple of the resorts though (and the 2-bedroom villas) before deciding. Is that possible? If so, how do you do it... do you just go to the resort that you want to tour?

Thanks!

 

[disneydivermom]

We went for a tour when in Disney in August prior to making our DVC purchase which was finalized in Novmeber. You can either plan this in advance (this is what we did) or visit any of the DVC booths to schedule a tour. The models are located at Saratoga Springs.

We went on our first vacation with points last week and I noticed that at BoardWalk there was a place to see models but I didn't go in to check it out.

 

[lpoeppelman]

We went for a tour when in Disney in August prior to making our DVC purchase which was finalized in Novmeber. You can either plan this in advance (this is what we did) or visit any of the DVC booths to schedule a tour. The models are located at Saratoga Springs.

We went on our first vacation with points last week and I noticed that at BoardWalk there was a place to see models but I didn't go in to check it out.

We were hoping to see the rooms at the resorts we are interested in. We have stayed in a two bedroom before at BCV, but wanted to see what they were like at different resorts. We are considering OKW because of the price difference, namely.

 

[tjkraz]

Never say never but as a general rule, DVC sales guides will not take you on a guided tour of the resorts. The sales center at Saratoga Springs has models for Animal Kingdom Villas and Aulani (Hawaii). They can also show a SSR room, obviously. And they have plenty of print and video materials on the others.

You can always stop by the resorts on your own, either driving or by using WDW transportation (buses, boats, etc.) You can even ask at the front desk if they happen to have a vacant room you can view for a few minutes. It all depends upon how busy they are, if a clean, vacant room is available and if they can spare someone to walk you over to the room (they won't let you go without an escort.)

There is a model room at the BoardWalk open during the day. Not sure of the exact hours but it's at least 9-6.

The normal presentation at SSR takes about 2 hours. If they tried to show additional resorts to every interested buyer, tours could become an all-day event. DVC isn't going to tie-up a Guide's entire day with just one or two prospects.

 

[LisaS]

We couldn't easily visit the resorts in person so we reviewed online photos of the resorts to help us decide if DVC was for us and which resort to purchase. The previous poster (tjkraz) has some great photos on his site, http://www.dvcnews.com/. Roll your mouse pointer over "DVC Resorts" and click on a resort. Over on the left, click on "Maps and photos". Each group of photos for each room type (Studio, 1BR, etc) includes a floor plan for that room type to help you get your orientation.

Another favorite of mine are the photo tours on http://www.tagrel.com/. Roll your mouse pointer over "Disney Vacation Club" and select a photo tour from the drop-down menu. They do not have a photo tour for every resort but the ones they do have are very helpful.

Allears also has a comprehensive set of photos on their accommodations page: http://allears.net/acc/faq_hot.htm. The resorts are listed along the left side of the page. The DVC resorts are listed about halfway down the page.

ETA: You mention you are interested in OKW. It was recently refurbished but many (most?) of the online photo tours show the original room decor. Some people have provided updated photos in their trip reports. You might want to do some googling to find updated photos of OKW before making a decision. Many of us are not happy with the refurb since the new colors and furnishings don't fit the theme as well as the original decor.

 

[lpoeppelman]

We couldn't easily visit the resorts in person so we reviewed online photos of the resorts to help us decide if DVC was for us and which resort to purchase. The previous poster (tjkraz) has some great photos on his site, http://www.dvcnews.com/. Roll your mouse pointer over "DVC Resorts" and click on a resort. Over on the left, click on "Maps and photos". Each group of photos for each room type (Studio, 1BR, etc) includes a floor plan for that room type to help you get your orientation.

Another favorite of mine are the photo tours on http://www.tagrel.com/. Roll your mouse pointer over "Disney Vacation Club" and select a photo tour from the drop-down menu. They do not have a photo tour for every resort but the ones they do have are very helpful.

Allears also has a comprehensive set of photos on their accommodations page: http://allears.net/acc/faq_hot.htm. The resorts are listed along the left side of the page. The DVC resorts are listed about halfway down the page.

ETA: You mention you are interested in OKW. It was recently refurbished but many (most?) of the online photo tours show the original room decor. Some people have provided updated photos in their trip reports. You might want to do some googling to find updated photos of OKW before making a decision. Many of us are not happy with the refurb since the new colors and furnishings don't fit the theme as well as the original decor.

Thank you! I really appreciate it.

 

[DopeysGal82]

At the Preview center they have SSR, AKL and Aulani.

In NY we were able to see BLT at DtD.

I would assume if your purchase were predicated on a tour, they'd give you a tour. We bought BLT without seeing it, but I feel like they'd have taken us there to see it if that was what it would take to make the sale.

I wouldn't count on them showing you resorts they're not currently selling, like OKW and BCV. I know they DO sell those, but they are really pushing SSR, BLT and AKV.

 

[etemplet]

We were hoping to see the rooms at the resorts we are interested in. We have stayed in a two bedroom before at BCV, but wanted to see what they were like at different resorts. We are considering OKW because of the price difference, namely.

Ask and you shall receive. Genie and Sissy ain't buyin nuthin till we has a look around. "Not buyin a Pig in a Poke."

I talked to 3 or 4 DVC reps and got different perspectives. There is always one or more friendly reps that know their way around and can get you a look at what you want. I was a bit befuddled that I was not offered other properties, only AKV at the time. I'm glad my wife and I decided to do some research and visits on our own. I know we will be very happy at BLT, and we also went to BWV. We ended up buying DVC points at both...resale of course but...to each his/her own.

 

[tjkraz]

We ended up buying DVC points at both...resale of course

Exactly why DVC won't bend over backward to show off sold out resorts.

As I said, the standard presentation takes about 2 hours at Saratoga Springs. If they offered to drive guests across property looking at different resorts and villa rooms, it could turn into an all-day affair.

They have also learned that the more educated prospects end up buying resale anyway.

Bottom line is the sales they stand to lose by not providing extensive tours pales in comparison to the added overhead required to do it in the first place.

 

[normr]

Last time we were at the Contemporary, we were able to walk over to BLT and there was a DVC rep in the lobby and she showed us some rooms at BLT, I guess we were just lucky.

 

[etemplet]

Last time we were at the Contemporary, we were able to walk over to BLT and there was a DVC rep in the lobby and she showed us some rooms at BLT, I guess we were just lucky.

That's all we did....asked and the rep showed us around and let us walk around the property to check it out. Of course, we were interested in what was best for us, not, what they wanted to sell us at the time.

I think the properties sell themselves. I don't need anyone to hold my hand.

 

[pchivvy]

We 'found' the BWV mock up when we went to the Boardwalk a couple of years ago, and that is what got us interested in the first place. We popped in again last year as we really started to get interested and were considering resale. We compared that with the DVC tour at SSR, and also popped into AKL to have a look around generally. Whilst there though, we saw the DVC rep at her desk and asked if we could see a 'real' unit which she was happy to do. Sealed the deal really as we are now waiting on ROFR for a boardwalk and AKL resale contract

 

[disneynutz]

BLT models are still open at BLT.

Bill

 

[Irishmom23]

We just came back last night from a great trip to BWV. We were very interested in seeing the model rooms at BLT. We took the monorail to the Contemporary and stopped by the concierge desk on Sunday 1/7/12 to ask how to go about visiting BLT. The nice young man took my daughter and me over there personally and gave us the tour. It was very sleek and modern, not really my taste, but my daughter LOVED it and can't wait to book for her and her fiance.

 

[Sammie]

Exactly have to agree with TJ, that would be like a Ford sales person taking you over to test drive a Chevy.

OKW is sold out, there is no incentive for DVC to show you what you wish to buy resale.

They will gladly show you something if you are interested in direct buy from available resorts.

You can go to YouTube and find lots of video on all the resorts.

 

[vandy]

I think it will be a hit and miss situation. I have known people who went to the resort, noticed the check-in was slow, asked and were allowed to see a room. I have known others that were not. It may boil down to who you ask and how their day has been going. I'm sure the standard rule is that they don't need to let you see one, but it may be that opportunity to give a little extra magic.