DVC questions from California family

[mattnday]

Myself DH 32 DW - 32 and DS -3.5 love Disney - we went to Disneyland 3 times last year - before he was born we went to DisneyWorld 4 times in 5 years including the millenium -

With that being said we are HGVC owners who have long admired DVC except for the price

Can someone enlighten me on the following:

1)If I owned at Vero or HHI what are the chances of ever getting a holiday week at one of the properties at Disney World - Specificaly New Years , Easter and July 4th

2) Is the availability at the 7 month window extremely limited everywhere or usually is there good availability minus holidays if you call 7 months to the day

3)I see the going rate at Vero and HHI is about $10 less per point then a disney world prop - Is this correct - I have been following the ROFR thread but these properties aren't mentioned

4)what is the current expiration of DVC for current props - IE does membership at SSR expire later then one at OKW

5) Would there be any other drawback of owning outside of where you want to say when it comes to borrowing and banking points

any help as always is appreciated

 

[dianeschlicht]

You would be likely to get into either OKW or SSR at the 7 month mark, but be advised that Vero has higher maintenance fees than the others.

 

[hulagirl]

1) If you aren't picky about where you stay, chances are good that you will find something...especially if you call right at the 7 month window. OKW and SSR are your best bets.

2)It depends on the time of year you like to travel...but I have had luck getting reservations even 4 months in advance. Again, if you are not picky about property, your chances increase quite a bit. Holidays are tougher.

3)You are correct here. But make sure to compare maintenance fees as well. They may end up costing you more in the long run.

4)The current expiration date is 2042 and I believe it is 2054 for SSR - somebody please correct me if I am wrong.

5) No drawbacks in terms of banking and borrowing no. Just remember it is a good idea to own a contract that has a UY fairly close to the month you are most likely to travel in. That way, if you have to cancel a reservation, you will still have the maximum amount of time to rebook.

Hope that helps!

 

[Cruelladeville]

One other thing to consider is that the points are cheaper for a reason, mainly that the resorts are less popular. If you need to sell your points for any reason, you will have to wait awhile to have a buyer, which could be a real problem, especially if you need the money immediately. Also, the points at the Disney resorts are going up in price faster, which translates to larger returns on the cash you lay out now. I bought my BWV points in 1997 at $54, and can get about $78 for them now, whereas both HH and VB sold just a couple years later for $60, and they are still in the mid-$60's now. The difference in cost now is about $10, which is about $2000 on a 200 pt contract, but you will recover that cost plus more when you sell. The old adage to buy where you want to stay is a good one.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

If you want a WDW vacation but don't care which resort you stay at, then choose SSR because it has 49 years left on the contract or OKW because you can get it for a little less (and maintenance is less too) than the other resorts through a resale purchase. Then at 7 months you can try anywhere and even go on a wait list.

I usually tell people to buy where they want to stay, but since it doesn't sound like it matters to you, buy at WDW.

HBC

 

[mattnday]

Are Holidays impoossible at the 7 month window?

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Are Holidays impoossible at the 7 month window?

They are difficult but not impossible. It depends on what you want and where you want to stay. For example I know that last year 2BR's were available at OKW inside the 7 month window for Christmas last year.

HBC

 

[Caskbill]

Are Holidays impoossible at the 7 month window?

In your OP you mentioned New Years. Be advised that New Year's Eve is probably THE most popular night in all of DVC, and all of Disney. It's probably the only night where the parks are consistently closed year after year due to them hitting capacity limits. Getting something at the 7-month window will be tough.

For example, ALL the Standard View Studios at BWV for NYE are usually reserved within a few HOURS of MS opening, right at the 11-month window.

In fact it will be tough getting rooms at BWV, BCV or VWL for NYE, mostly because all these resorts are smaller in size (fewer rooms), and people who bought there did so because that's where they want to stay, and for NYE they're great locations. We've done several NYE's at WDW, and the crowds all leave at basically the same time which creates a tremendous load on the bus systems. BWV and BCV are popular because they're an easy walk from Epcot so that works great.

OKW and SSR are much larger resorts and so there's better chances.

The other holidays can be easier or tough also. There are a lot of factors.

The best advice is to purchase at one of the WDW resorts, then you can make those important holiday reservations at your home resort at 11-months. Then, if you prefer a different resort, at 7-months try to see if you can get anything. If so, then great, you just make a new reservation and cancel the 1st reservation. But if nothing else is available, you're still covered with your original home resort reservation.