DVC tour

[WenNRay]

Hi all,
My husband and I are extremely interested in buying DVC, but are not sure about which resort to purchase(new or resale). I'm wondering if any of you think it would be worth it to fly to DW and take the tour before buying. What exactly is included on the tour? I'm looking for information such as: which villas have the better pool, easiest access to MK, EC or MGM using DW transportation and/or a rental car, nicest rooms, biggest rooms, most nearby activities, etc. Thanks!
Wendy

 

[DVC95-BW]

I realize I will incite a DVC religious argument, but hands down the Boardwalk Villas (only resale now, I believe) is the best of the DVC options. Ok, perhaps this is the way to look at it:

Urbanites: Boardwalk Villas recommended - walking distance from EPCOT and MGM, walking distance to the Yacht and Beach Club pool (best in WDW!), lively Boardwalk atmosphere, great restaurants (Spoodles on the Boardwalk, short walk to Palio in the Swan hotel).

Country-types: Old Key West (only resale) - very calm, very relaxing... boat ride to Downtown Disney... too calm for me, but the rooms are a lot bigger than BW

Can't comment on Wilderness Lodge Villas.

If you can wait, there are the new units the will be part of the Yacht and Beach Club.

Good luck making a fun decision and for other DVC members please take no offence! You can't go wrong with DVC whatever you choose! Best decision our family made.

 

[Cap]

Decide what is important to you.

Trade offs are:

size (OKW has more square footage per unit reserved than BWV or WVL)

atmosphere (OKW is more spread out, has more grassy areas around it, has less hustle and bustle. BWV is a 5 story hotel like building, on the Boardwalk, with shops, people walking by, etc.)

pools (OKW doesn't have a slide, BWV does at the big pool, so it seems to attract more energetic kids)

walk versus ride (BWV is within walking distance of Epcot and MGM, and other pools / hotels. OKW and WVL require that you ride by boat, bus, or car).

Also, decide if you are going to do your entire trip at DW or split it to DW and perhaps Vero. We like to go to BWV and then take some time at Vero, which is slower and more relaxing.

If you haven't gotten the tape from Disney, at least call and get that as it gives some good visual ideas.

 

[dianeschlicht]

The phrase you will hear often here is "Buy where you want to stay".

The reason for this is the 11 month booking window for your home resort.

Locations:
OKW: the first DVC. Has large home type units and lots of space, peace and quiet. A true vacation. Park outside your door. Close to Downtown Disney. Too quiet and spread out for some.

BWV: More of a hotel atmosphere with smaller units but a great location that is convenient to two major parks (Epcot and MGM). Seems to have long walks to some rooms and can have noise problems.

VWL: Close to MK and has the great Wilderness Lodge atmosphere. Hotel like setting like BWV, but quieter like OKW.

BCV: Same convenient location as BWV and access to the great SAB pool. Not open for a year yet.

 

[normr]

Hi Wendy,

Make sure you do all your research before going, then you'll understand everything, there are some great FAQ's here on the board that explain DVC in general, read the posts here, ask questions, and one thing you'll see, most of us love our DVC, yes there are some bumps in the road sometimes, and once you walk into one of the larger units you'll see why we can't go back to a regular hotel room anymore.

I sent you an e-mail and you can respond back to me if you'd like.

 

[Granny]

WenNRay....


You will get a lot of "home bragging" here, so you need to take everyone's advice with a few shakers of salt. What can I say, we're a passionate group!

Your questions are a little tough to answer without more information. For instance, where do you usually stay? What kind of theming do you like? Do your priorities include proximity to certain parks, quietness, theme type, etc.

We bought into VWL sight unseen. That was easy for us to do because we have stayed at WL and absolutely love the theming, location, layout, etc. Once we saw some pictures that assured us that the VWL theming was consistent with the WL resort, we didn't need to see it.

However, I don't think we would have gone sight unseen if we didn't have that experience. For instance, the upcoming Beach Club Villas sound great, but I would want to see the room decor, etc before I bought.

The "tour" starts with someone at a desk telling you about the DVC in general. Then you can visit some model rooms. It is very low pressure and pretty much as much detail as you want to get.

The last part of your message is what will get everyone on their soap box touting the benefits of their "home". Personally, I like to hear everyone engage in a little good natured boasting since I know that eventually I will be staying in every resort at some point.

If you are not intimately familiar with the DVC locations, themes and other amenities, I'd say it's worth a trip to find out. Besides, it's a good excuse to visit The World.

Good luck!

 

[wdwnut]

hismall soapbox here) it really does depend on your family and how they want to vacation. we "passed" on okw in 93 because of the point and financial restrictions they had at that time and the location wasn't too thrilling for the kids. we originally bought at bwv, sight unseen, due to the location. yes, the rooms are smaller, but the family does prefer the location. our youngest is still a teen, and does prefer this location the best. every time i've ever suggested staying at okw, i get griped at about buses and lack of activities for younger people. if your family is younger and you want a lot of relaxation, okw might be the way to go. if you want more "hustle and bustle" and location, then bwv might be your ticket. the vwl have a little more action going on than okw, but not as much as bwv. by the way, the kids think trying out the vwl for a couple of days during a trip might be okay. you can check out the pics of the different resorts on this site, the official site, deb wills' site www.wdwig.com and www.ourlaughingplace.com

 

[WenNRay]

Thank you ALL for the great info. We were leaning towards BWV and from what I've heard from you all I think it would be the best for us. I'm sure WLV are gorgeous, but we can get the "real deal" here in the Rockies. I think we would enjoy the different theme BWV or OKW would offer. Our children are 1, 3, 9, and 10 years old. I am looking ahead to when the older two will be teens and ready to maybe check out the boardwalk on their own. (Will I ever be ready to let them go out on their own? That's the larger question LOL) Seems like it would be a convenient place for them to explore solo. I'm also thinking hubby would enjoy the ESPN club. The only place we've stayed at WDW was a cabin at Ft. Wilderness (being the most cost effective for a family of 6). Seemed like we spent a lot of time getting to and from the MK/EC on the Disney transportation. The diagrams in the book they sent us of the two-bedrooms at OKW do look roomier than the others, but I'm not sure that outweighs the other advantages to BWV. What would I do without this board! I called our guide the other day to ask about the points chart for 2002 (specifically the increase for the DC) and some other questions I had, and I was not really impressed with her. I asked if the member guidebook would perhaps give me more specific information than the one they sent and she replied that they don't send that to "just anyone". Put me off a bit. I'd like as much info as possible before I invest $15,000 dollars, you know?! I want to read the fine print! Thanks again to you all for the great information.
Wendy

 

[loribell]

Just wanted to get your attention. I always think a trip to WDW is a great idea. GO for the tour. Do you need to? NO, not really, it's just a good excuse to make that trip!

Anyway, we vacationed at WDW this past July and did the tour while there. I wanted my mother to join with me on this purchase so I just HAD (LOL) to take her down for her birthday so she could see what I was talking about. We had basically already decided to join but had planned on doing a resale for OKW. We toured VWL and fell in love with the place. Signed the contract before we came home. I am now the proud owner of a very small portoin of a room at VWL. Bought 240 points and have not been home yet but I'm already thinking I need more points. Man is this place addicting! I just keep thinking restraint, restaint, restraint!

We had stayed at OKW on the trip for my mom and it is a very nice place as are the BWV. Personally I don't think you can go wrong. I too plan to eventually stay at all the DVC resorts and use some points to go to DL occasionally. Being from Oklahoma we are almost exactlly half way between the two. I like to visit DL almost as much as WDW, the time zone is alot more to my liking.

By the way, your family sounds an awful lot like mine. I have an 18 year old DD, a 16 year old DS, a 7 year old DS, and a 2 (almost 3) year old DD. My only regret is that I had never checked the DVC out earlier. I always just assumed it was to expensive for me.

 

[prplcrzy]

I have to say that I have seen a lot of good advice here, from everyone. One of the things that no one touched on and that is the financial aspect of owning points. That may not be a concern for some, but for most I suspect it is.

The BWV will cost you more, for points and for maintenance fees. OKW will cost less for both. If you own points at the BWV, I think the fees (dues) are $3.83 perpoint per year and OKW is $3.13. It doesn't sound like a lot but if you think about it, if you own 300 points, that is $210 per year. Multiply that by 40 years and that is a substantial amount. Also the purchase price for the BWV is more than for OKW, because of its location. You have to weigh whether it is worth the extra money to stay at the Boardwalk or if OKW will suit your needs.

Also keep in mind that you can stay at the other resorts if you own at one, the reservations are just a little more difficult, and during certain times of the year, impossible.

I personally own at both, you should take a trip if you are not familiar with any of the resorts and evaluate which one you think you would like best. You will not make a bad purchase, you just may have wished you bought points at a different resort if you don't choose the right one.

Buy a few more points than you think you will need is my other piece of advice. After two add-ons I speak from experience. You will realize that it will be cheaper for you to enjoy Disney (after the initial investment) and you will change your vacation style and want more points. 50 points more than you think you need is probably a good amount, it depends on you.

Good luck, you won't make a bad decision with all of the information at your fingertips, and this is a great place to ask. I wish I found this place before I bought.