DVC Points Question... Confused and Need Guidance

[bbmassey]

Alright, so I think I understand the DVC concept. I buy points at a home resort and I get the rights to book at that resort 11 months out and the chance to book at all other resorts 7 months out. I that is correct, I need guidance on the following questions:

1) How hard is it to book at other resorts once that 7-month window opens? Do the DVC resorts stay booked?

2) If I want to sample all resorts and it is more important just to be at a Disney resort rather than a specific resort, does it really matter what my home resort is? For example, I can buy 300 re-sale points at Hilton Head for $58 per point ($17,400 total) with dues of $6.81 per point ($2,043 per year). I could also buy 300 re-sale points at the Grand Floridian for $139 per point ($41,700) with dues of $5.71 per point ($1,713). If I am flexible and not locked into a specific resort, why would I not just chase the lowest price?

3) How much have yearly dues gone up over time? Is it inflation based or could they jump $10 in one year without notice?

Thanks for any information you guys might be able to provide. Thanks!

 

[crisi]

1. It depends on what you want and when you want it. Epcot area resorts over Food and Wine - you'll need a home resort window. VAKL Conceirge, you'll need a home resort window. BWV Grand Villas, you need a home resort window. SSR, most rooms at VAKL, OKW (except the near HH category, and sometimes Grand Villas), you can book seven months out pretty dependably. By the time your vacation rolls around, DVC is sold to be completely booked - i.e. they sell enough points to functionally book the resort. So the question is really "how fast does it book" - for a BWV standard view over F&W, usually by 8:05 am at eleven months. For an SSR one bedroom in early September - there is probably a room left.

Also, DVC is really popular with marathon runners, so marathon weekends tend to book early.

There have been a few occasions when the resorts were all booked up at seven months and it created a log jam for people who wanted to switch. When it happens (rarely) it has been the last three months of the year.

2. Watch the dues - HHI is cheap, but you'd be better off buying SSR - longer expiration period and smaller dues.

3. There is a limit to how much they can jump and for the most part they follow inflation.

Buy where you won't be disappointed to end up - and book early (before seven months). There is no penalty for switching if something more interesting is available at seven months.

 

[Sandisw]

If you are okay with staying at any of the WDW resorts, if you had to, then you are correct that buying for price makes sense. However, it is getting harder and harder to book 7 months many times of the year, so if going to WDW is your goal, I would at least choose a resort there. While it might not be something that will happen, if Disney decided to remove a resort from the "club", you'd be forced to stay only there. Having something offset, if this were to occur, would leave you out. Depending on when you go, your chances of other places will vary greatly. For example, getting the Epcot resorts during F & W is hard if you don't own one of those resorts. VGF studios are very hard to come by at 7 months because there are so few of them.

But, if you are flexible, and travel at different times of the year, or in the summer, I think you will find getting other resorts is possible. I have yet to have trouble for any of my summer trips, when I have booked far enough out to get what I wanted. To be fair, I own at VGF so that is always booked during home resort time.

Good luck!

 

[disneynutz]

Your questions come up every week and you will get all types of answers. They may or may not apply to you based on your tastes, travel dates and many other factors. Buy SSR, use the points to stay at all of the resorts, learn the system, find yourself, if the SSR points don't allow you to book where and when you want, sell them and buy your favorite resorts later.

Bill

 

[Brian Noble]

1: See drusba's post in this thread:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/how-have-peoples-7th-month-booking-been-working-out.3549166/page-2

2: If I was primarily buying for WDW trips, I would want a home resort at WDW somewhere. But, if any resort is okay to you, SSR resale is probably among the best options. However, if you plan to come during Fall Frenzy often, you'll often be staying at SSR. If that's okay with you, go for it.

3: History here.
http://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-program/financial/annual-dues-by-resort

 

[mustinjourney]

Here's another great thread that works great if you're a visual person...

https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-some-1-bedrooms-vgc-update-10-21-15.3419112/

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC resorts should be about 95-97% occupied at all times. Some times it is less, so others it will be more. Don't buy an offsite resort unless that is where you want to stay because you have lost the 7-11 month home resort advantage at WDW. Buy at the location you don't mind staying at if you cannot book another non-home resort at seven months out. Many of the resorts it is hard to book at seven months out. And some times during the year it is nearly impossible to find anything at seven months out. If you primarily want studios, know that studios usually book up first, two bedrooms next. One bedrooms are usually the last to book up because they usually require twice the points of a studio and sleep about the same number of guests. In some resorts, the studios might sleep five, but the one bedroom only sleeps four.

Dues can go up 15% each year, but they usually go up around 3-6%. Over the life of your contract, you'll pay more in annual fees than you did in the original purchase cost.

 

[Wakey]

Alright, so I think I understand the DVC concept. I buy points at a home resort and I get the rights to book at that resort 11 months out and the chance to book at all other resorts 7 months out. I that is correct, I need guidance on the following questions:

1) How hard is it to book at other resorts once that 7-month window opens? Do the DVC resorts stay booked?

2) If I want to sample all resorts and it is more important just to be at a Disney resort rather than a specific resort, does it really matter what my home resort is? For example, I can buy 300 re-sale points at Hilton Head for $58 per point ($17,400 total) with dues of $6.81 per point ($2,043 per year). I could also buy 300 re-sale points at the Grand Floridian for $139 per point ($41,700) with dues of $5.71 per point ($1,713). If I am flexible and not locked into a specific resort, why would I not just chase the lowest price?

3) How much have yearly dues gone up over time? Is it inflation based or could they jump $10 in one year without notice?

Thanks for any information you guys might be able to provide. Thanks!

Re number 1 and 2: First question, when will you likely travel for the forseeable future and what type of a room would you get? Second question, would you HAVE to stay in a particular WDW resort, or if you had to stay sometimes in somewhere like Animal Kingdom, Saratoga Springs or Old Key West, would that bother you if you knew you could buy in for a lot less? These are the two main questions for number 1 and 2.
Re number 3, I do think the law says that they are only permitted to increase dues directly to cost. If that is correct, they shouldn't suddenly and massively shoot up. Biggest risk is the coastal properties, HHI was hit by the hurricane. Even that wasn't bad though, the members had to pay the insurance deductible, so to smooth it, Disney fronted up the cash and spread it to each member over 5 years. To be fair it's an extremely modest sum and it would hardly have broken the bank applying it all in one go. This shows Disney do not want to be seen to be drastically jacking up dues- bad for new sales.

 

[adisneyaunt]

According to your numbers.. ur either in for 19k or 43k.. and likely a bit more each year...to "Perhaps" get where you want, when you want to stay, how often you want.
People here are great.. a wealth of knowledge to read thru.. so ask away and really see if it's Worth it for your lifestyle!
Or is renting them a better option after all? Only you know!

Wishing you the Best of luck!

 

[bwvBound]

Buying DVC at Hilton Head is perfect if you wish to stay at that resort during the summer months. Indeed, booking summer at Hilton Head can be difficult at 7 months.
However -- if you are more interested in the WDW locations than the beach resorts, I'd echo a comment made above: consider SSR over HH.

• You can secure a WDW stay for any time of year at 11 months. This might be of value to you if you wish to splurge over high-demand, holiday periods. (You are both teachers, right? Tied to school calendars?)
• HH contracts expire 12 years before SSR contracts. (HH: 2042; SSR: 2054)
• HH dues are higher than SSR dues. (2017 dues for HH: $7.27; SSR: $5.60)

Things to consider, in general:

• Studio units generally book full before 1BR units. (If you are budgeting for "studio" -- leave yourself permission and point-budget to book a 1BR unit periodically to get the resort/dates you wish/need.)
• "Discounted" unit types/views generally book full before more expensive units of the same size. Again, leave wiggle room in the budget to book a more expensive accommodation. Don't rely on getting the least-expensive room type.
• Small resorts (fewest total rooms) generally book full before larger resorts.
• Epcot resorts (Boardwalk/Beach Club) generally book full before "outer" resorts (SSR, OKW, AKV).
• As mentioned above, key calendar events can really mess with your general understanding of "demand." Consider F&W and RunDisney as demand drivers!
• Renting may be a great Plan-B!

Best wishes on your research!

 

[com_op_2000]

I own at OKW and trade out 95% of the time to other resorts.
It is getting harder to book at certain times of the year - mostly mid-Sept through mid-Jan due to this being the highest demand time of the year with MNSSHP, MVMCP, F&W, holidays, and marathons.
Ditto - the PPs who advise looking at least to own at WDW if that is where you want to stay on most trips.

 

[JohnnyB2]

When we decided that DVC might be for us, we rented points and stayed where we thought we were going to purchase first. About 3months after our stay we were DVC owners at BWV. Good luck with your choice!