DVC purchasing help, Please:)THANKS ALL!! BANKINGreKEETER'S ??

[mbb]

Hello All! Just wanted to let you all know how much I (and DH) appreciate all your valuable info and notes that add a "little bit of mouse magic" to a day...Many ???s we've had about purchasing DVC have been answered just by a little bit of "lurking" on the board So any advice that any of you may have is always appreciated!

"Buy where you want to stay" and "buy as many points as you can" This has to be DVC's unofficial motto! So here goes...BCV or OKW? Love the SAB idea for the kids, but extra space!!?? 200pts OK amount? (Would ultimately like 10day stay once/year) Use Year? BCV selling out this summer(??) should we wait 'til next yr(finances would allow the purchase of more points) and buy Saratoga Springs? We have two boys(5yrs old) and would travel anytime of the yr now, but later on? How does the borrowing/banking thing work with use yr? Does using MB mean we couldn't WDW next spring onDVC? and how's this for a stupid question: can you use bar-b-ques on the balcony??!!

lots of questions, I know, my apologies, and probably asked and answered somewhere already!... we can't wait to hear all of you wish us a welcome home!!

THANK YOU so much...but Keeter brought up a good ? Banking pts...?? It's frustrating to not understand it all yet...but we're going to check OKW resales...will keep you posted! Thx again

 

[RWishbone]

You will likely hear alot of opinions on this issue and here is mine. All of the onsite resorts have advantages and disadvantages. We own at the BW and while we enjoy the other resorts, we would not change our ownership if given the choice. OKW is certainly more laid back. The rooms are slightly bigger and the set-up is more conducive to just relaxing then the other resorts. I, on the other hand, find the hustle and bustle of the BWV to be relaxing. I do not think that most owners will contest the fact that the BWV and BCV are the most convenient to the parks since you can easily walk into EPCOT and the walk or boat to MGM is a breeze. When we go in January, the only resort open late is EPCOT and the short walk back when the parks close is a real treat. We have 4 little kids (oldest is 9) and we always come back to the rooms for a nap so the convenience factor for us is huge. We used to be "Poly People" but now we love being able to walk around the BW at night and the Poly - once so romantic in my pre-kids days - is too laid back for our group.

I have never stayed at the BCV although we always pool-hopped before the recent rules change. BW has a great pool but SAB is awesome. On the other hand, the BCVs are kind of set back from the resort and do not have nearly the view of the rooms that overlook SAB and Crescent Lake. People seem to like WL but that was too remote for me. It was convenient to the MK.

If I had to choose again, I would pick the BW followed by BCV and then OKW. Again though, while all the resorts are great, I think the main thing is wheter you like your vacations more laid back(OKW) or more active(BWV or BCV). The next thing is whether you are ok with the bus system or your own car since you need that more frequently with OKW then the other two resorts.

Good luck. Rich

 

[Dean]

Buy what you can now if you can afford it and are certain this is for you as it sounds like you know Disney well enough to know you'll be visiting for some time to come. Buy OKW if you think you'll be happy with that, if not buy where you want most stays. BWV might be another option for you as the points for standard view are about the same as OKW. Dues for BW are higher though and a little harder to find a deal than for OKW. Buy a use year that occurs within 6 months or less (preferably less) of when you usually visit. If you don't have a planned usual time of visit, it makes no difference.

There will be lots of opinions because there are many factors and ways of looking at those factors. What might be best for me might not for you and vice versa. I don't think you'll regret the decision to join though.

 

[dianeschlicht]

If you are thinking in terms of starting out with 200 points, I would start with an OKW resale. That gets you in at a minimum level, but you will be able to get a week in a 2 bedroom at OKW during the slower times of the year. Later, when your kids are older, you might like to add on at one of the other resorts. By then you will probably be needing larger accommodations too.

The reason I suggest starting with the smaller contract at OKW is because it takes fewer points to stay there than at the other DVC resorts.
We purchased at OKW right after they started selling BWV. I loved the location of BWV, but I prefered the type of accomodations (townhome over hotel type) at OKW. I also thought I would get the most "bang for the buck" since it took fewer points and had lower maintance fees. Our intention was to stay at BWV every other trip. Guess what!? We have yet to stay at any DVC other than OKW! Every trip we tour the other resorts, and I know I would like both BWV and VWL, but when I see the hotel like setting, I just can't make myself give up the private feel of OKW.

Borrowing and banking as related to use year only has to do when your points are added and subtracted from your account. i.e. With a June use year, the first of June each year you will get that year's allotment of points. If you want to bank points during the year, you have up to bank in the first 3 months if you want to bank 100% of your points. Up to 6 months into your year, you can bank 50%. If you don't bank until the last 3 months, you can only bank 25%. You are not allowed to bank the last 60 days of your use year. When you make a ressie, you use points as they would be in your account at the time of travel. i.e. you have 200 points and a use year of June. You make a reservation on May 5 for a ressie that ends June 5 of the following year. In that May, you might have no more points left in your current use year, but because you are making a reservation for the NEXT use year, you DO have those points available to make the ressie at the 11 month window.

NO BBQs allowed on balconys! This is a fire regulation. At OKW all the quiet pool areas have grills available to use.

 

[BuffaloDisney]

Each DVC resort is truly great, so no matter which one you choose I'm sure you will love it. I agree with RWishbone, all the resorts do have advantages and disadvantages. Your own personal preferences & priorities will determine which resort best fits your bill.
I own at both OKW & BW (mostly OKW). To keep things brief I will list my reasons for choosing OKW:
lower dues
lower points needed for ress.
bigger rooms
bettor parking
closeness to DD
I very often stay at 2-3 resorts during a trip to WDW because my family enjoys all the resorts.

Don't over buy. Add ons are easy. I must warn you, no matter how many points you do buy it will never be enough.

A use yr within 6 months of preffered travel is the rule of thumb.

 

[Keeter]

I thought I understood the point system until I read about banking. So if my use year is in January and I get 200 points and then use 150 on vacation in December, does that mean I can't carry the remaining 50 points over to the next year? Please explain.

 

[mbhoxsie]

I'm going to have to concur with RWishbone...

I own at two resorts... BWV and VB... I love them both, but for very different reasons...

I own at BWV to be close to the action... I love being able to walk to two of the four major parks... Love the energy of the Boardwalk.. Love being able to watch the tops of the fireworks from Illuminations and Fastasmic on a nightly basis, or hearing the screams from the poor guests in the Tower of Terror.. ;-) Owning at BWV also has the handy advantage of getting rooms with a Standard view... The point allowences for the standard rooms are cheaper, and almost as comporable as OKW... (Definately cheaper than VWL or BCV...)

At VB, I love the fact that the rooms are larger... That the resort is far removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and that the beach is usually a five minute walk away...

For me, owning at both resorts compliments whatever I would like for my vacation experience on a yearly basis...

For advice I'd give the following:

1) Buy where you want to stay.. (Points are cheaper at VB right now due to MB, but owning there does you little good if you want to stay at WDW the majority of time..)

2) Figure out how many points you want, and purchase that many in smaller contracts, as add-ons... Like BuffaloDisney stated, you can add-on in smaller contracts.. (50 pts or more) For example, if you think you might want 300 points... Maybe buy one 200 point contract and two 50 pt contracts.. That way, if you ever hit upon hard times, you can unload one of the smaller contracts if need be..

3) Determine how you want to vacation the majority of the time... Do want to be near lots of activity?? (I'd recommend BCV or BWV..) Or do you usually tend to be more laid back? (Try OKW, VWL, VB, or HHI)

4) Pick a use year near when you usually vacation.. You can bank or borrow to accomidate vacationing anytime, but its nice to get that point allowance right around the time you usually go on a trip, so that way if you need to reschedule because of unforseen circumstances, you have a larger window.

5) Do you like using the bus system, or driving to the parks? BCV and BWV are close enough to two of the parks to walk or take a boat, but you have to bus to MK and AK.. VWL offers a boat to MK, but busses to everywhere else.. OKW offers a boat to DD, but busses to everywhere else.. If you drive down to resorts, OKW gives you the ability to normally park in front of or very near to your vacation home... (A very nice advantage..)

I wouldn't worry about the sizes of the rooms, unless you are planning to be in the room a long period of time.. The first three resorts tend to have the larger room sizes: OKW, VB, and HHI... BCV, BWV, and VWL rooms tend to be a bit smaller, but not unreasonable by any standards...

Also, alot of people tend to put an emphasis on the dues... Not me.. The differences in dues tends to be minor, unless you plan on having a LARGE amount of points (400 or more).. Plus the dues are subject to change.. So while VB has the highest rate per point for dues now, it might not be that way 4 or 5 years from now.

Each DVC resort has a character all its own.. I have so far stayed at BWV, OKW, VWL, and VB.... Loved all of them..

There is NO bad DVC resort... Wherever you pick, I'm sure you'll be more than happy...

Hope this helps!!

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by Keeter
I thought I understood the point system until I read about banking. So if my use year is in January and I get 200 points and then use 150 on vacation in December, does that mean I can't carry the remaining 50 points over to the next year? Please explain.

In order to carryover those remaining 50 points, you must bank them. There are deadlines for banking. In the first 6 months, you can bank 100% of your total points, 9 months 50%, 10 months 25%. There are no January use years, so I will use February as an example. With 200 points, you can bank all 200 by July 31, 100 by Oct 31, 50 by Nov 30.