DVC Question

[Anna Gold]

I was just looking through the DVC resale page and I noticed that the price per point was much less in a moderate than a deluxe. So my question is, are the points valued the same? If I buy points at a moderate will I be able to use the same amount of points and stay at a deluxe? If so, why wouldn't I buy the moderate resale as opposed to the deluxe? There has to be a catch? I apologize if my question seems to be "stupid". I tried to research, but didn't find anything. Any info is appreciated!!

Anna

 

[Sparrow624]

There are no moderate DVC resorts, so I am a bit confused. You can use points from any DVC resort at any other DVC resort at the 7 month window.. but...the point charts are different for each resort and some use MANY more points than others.

I suggest you peruse this website for a while before purchasing. I did for about 2 years...not saying you need that much, but I did.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Anna, As was said before there are no moderate DVC resorts. They are all considered deluxe accommodations. They do differ, however, in location, amenities and theme as well as expiration date and maintenance fees. You are correct in that they are all priced differently. Some resorts are much more popular than others so competition is fierce and drives up the price. Others, are very small and contracts are rare which drives up their prices. You buy into the resort that you would like to stay in. That way you get to make your reservations at the 11 month mark when even the small resorts have availability. For reservations in resorts that are not your home resort, you can make those reservations at 7 months when you will be competing with all of DVC for reservations. As you can see that 4 month window makes all the difference in the world as to if you can make a reservation at a popular time.

There are no stupid questions. This forum is all about learning.

 

[Anna Gold]

I was referring to, for example, Old Key West, which is like $75 a point in comparison to Grand Floridan which is like $140 a point. If I purchased points from Old Key West, could I use the same points to stay at The Grand Floridian??

 

[Anna Gold]

Anna, As was said before there are no moderate DVC resorts. They are all considered deluxe accommodations. They do differ, however, in location, amenities and theme as well as expiration date and maintenance fees. You are correct in that they are all priced differently. Some resorts are much more popular than others so competition is fierce and drives up the price. Others, are very small and contracts are rare which drives up their prices. You buy into the resort that you would like to stay in. That way you get to make your reservations at the 11 month mark when even the small resorts have availability. For reservations in resorts that are not your home resort, you can make those reservations at 7 months when you will be competing with all of DVC for reservations. As you can see that 4 month window makes all the difference in the world as to if you can make a reservation at a popular time.

There are no stupid questions. This forum is all about learning.

Ok, so you're paying the extra $ to ensure a place in the resort that you want? But, if I purchases 200 points in Old Key West, I could use them in The Beach Club, just have to book 4 months in rather than 7 months.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Yes and no. VGF is a small resort with a lot of competition for its few rooms (much to the chagrin of the owners there) In addition, the point values are different at VGF and you will most assuredly spend far more points on a week at VGF than you would at OKW. That said, if there was availability and you did have the points you could certainly use them at VGF and in fact it would be an excellent use of your points mathematically. You would just need to wait until the 7 month mark to make your out of resort reservation.

 

[coastalhh]

I was referring to, for example, Old Key West, which is like $75 a point in comparison to Grand Floridan which is like $140 a point. If I purchased points from Old Key West, could I use the same points to stay at The Grand Floridian??

You can but not until 7 months.

You can book your home resort (where you own) 11 months out and in

Any other dvc resort 7 months out and in

So when you are 7 months out you could try to book Grand Floridain but it could be all sold out already for those dates because the owners of that resort have been booking for 4 months already before your trip.

Also note that some resorts have different end dates. Some you only get for 27 more years while others are 50 years or so. When those years run out it will go back to disney.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Ok, so you're paying the extra $ to ensure a place in the resort that you want? But, if I purchases 200 points in Old Key West, I could use them in The Beach Club, just have to book 4 months in rather than 7 months.

You are correct in that those who want to stay at a particular resort pay whatever price they deem fair to ensure that they get that resort. However, the home resort advantage is 11 months and the out of home booking frame is 7 months.

 

[Anna Gold]

Thanks for the info. My dream resort is Beach Club Villas, but if there is a cheaper alternative, I can chance it. It's practically half the price?? My cousin is a DVC member and her home is Animal Kingdom and she gave me 2 nights of points to stay at Beach Club and we were able to reserve. There was availability. So it's possible.

Thanks for the info and listening to my rant.

 

[Anna Gold]

Also note that some resorts have different end dates. Some you only get for 27 more years while others are 50 years or so. When those years run out it will go back to disney.

Good point, thanks for bringing this to my attention!!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Thanks for the info. My dream resort is Beach Club Villas, but if there is a cheaper alternative, I can chance it. It's practically half the price?? My cousin is a DVC member and her home is Animal Kingdom and she gave me 2 nights of points to stay at Beach Club and we were able to reserve. There was availability. So it's possible.

Thanks for the info and listening to my rant.

If you like BCV then I would recommend that you buy there. It's very popular and very difficult to book during popular DVC seasons. Note that I said "popular DVC seasons." DVC resorts are often harder to book at different times of year than you would tend to think. If you don't travel during those times then you will probably be okay with booking out of home resort.

 

[Sparrow624]

It is VERY hard to get both the Grand Floridian and Beach Club if you do not own there at the 7 month mark. You can do it, but usually only for a very short stay.

 

[coastalhh]

I would recommend renting someone's points and trying out dvc for yourself first. That heloped me a lot in understanding.

For example. .did you know you do not get Dailey housekeeping in dvc resorts? No one will make your bed, clean your sheets, bring you new towels etc..
you Have a trash and towel day only after a few days stay and full cleaning is maybe a week? Someone can chime in with the exacts..we stay 3 days or less and never get anything.

That's something I found out the hard way.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Two nights is much easier than a full week at BCV and VGF at seven months.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I would recommend renting someone's points and trying out dvc for yourself first. That heloped me a lot in understanding.

For example. .did you know you do not get Dailey housekeeping in dvc resorts? No one will make your bed, clean your sheets, bring you new towels etc..
you Have a trash and towel day only after a few days stay and full cleaning is maybe a week? Someone can chime in with the exacts..we stay 3 days or less and never get anything.

That's something I found out the hard way.

If you stay seven nights or less, you get your trash removed and towels replaced on day four with day one as check in day. If you stay eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day four and trash removed and towels replaced on day eight. Then the cycle repeats for longer stays.

 

[Lynne M]

Thanks for the info. My dream resort is Beach Club Villas, but if there is a cheaper alternative, I can chance it. It's practically half the price?? My cousin is a DVC member and her home is Animal Kingdom and she gave me 2 nights of points to stay at Beach Club and we were able to reserve. There was availability. So it's possible.

Thanks for the info and listening to my rant.

It's possible, with luck, at certain times of year. BCV is really, really tough to get at 7 months from the end of September to the end of the year. You might get lucky and get a night or two here and there, but do you really want to spend all that money and have to depend on luck to get a reservation at your desired resort?

If BCV is not in your budget, consider renting instead of owning. You can rent from BCV owners at 11 months and get what you really want, without the long-term commitment.

 

[disneynutz]

You can take a chance and buy cheap and hope for availability where you really want to stay but if that worked, everyone would own SSR or OKW and not any other resort. IMO unless you really don't care where you stay, you need to buy at your favorite resort.

IMO it doesn't make sense to plan a luxury vacation hoping to stay at a resort by booking at 7 months. Another thing is that the 7 month rush continues to get worse as more members are added to the mix. Just think, Aulani, HH, VBR, and VGC owners who want to stay at WDW are booking at 7 months.

Bill

 

[chalee94]

I was referring to, for example, Old Key West, which is like $75 a point in comparison to Grand Floridan which is like $140 a point. If I purchased points from Old Key West, could I use the same points to stay at The Grand Floridian??

depending on your age, you might want to consider SSR as well, as it has a longer expiration date (2054 compared to 2042 for most OKW contracts.)

if you don't mind staying at SSR or OKW, they are a great deal and still onsite...but i agree with the others that if you buy SSR and expect to stay at VGF most of the time, you will probably find owning DVC frustrating (even with the up front savings.)

 

[Dean]

I was just looking through the DVC resale page and I noticed that the price per point was much less in a moderate than a deluxe. So my question is, are the points valued the same? If I buy points at a moderate will I be able to use the same amount of points and stay at a deluxe? If so, why wouldn't I buy the moderate resale as opposed to the deluxe? There has to be a catch? I apologize if my question seems to be "stupid". I tried to research, but didn't find anything. Any info is appreciated!!

Anna

For usage, the points are valued the same when you go to use them, the only difference is the home resort priority. The best financial value is to buy the cheapest option and trade up when you can. As noted, that means there are some resorts and some times when you may be limited to AKV, SSR or OKW. But even AKV value,concierge , BWV standard, VGF or BLT value are possible just not likely. IF one is set on a given resort or would be completely unhappy with the options that are fairly certain, then a more expensive option may be better. SSR is the cheapest long term but BLT is likely the best option for those who would be unhappy with the easier to reserve resorts. IMO the only ones who should buy the most expensive options are those who are going to buy retail anyway and those who must have that resort for a significant portion of the time. One might add that if one needs a specific week, buying that weeks as a fixed week may also be reasonable.

 

[chainkid]

There is only one reason to break the buy where you want to stay rule and that is if you are retired . With a flexible schedule, I have been able to get into every DVC at 7 months but you have to book when its open rather than a set time to go. If you like a certain time of year than buying at a cheaper resort and longing for your favorite is going to leave you heartbroken more than not. Exceptions to that rule are AKV,SSR,OKW as those are larger resorts and have more availability.