DVC - Why should I buy into a higher per point DVC?

[Tinkerbellie16]

So Disney suckered me They sent me an offer for $40 gift card to go through a phone tour. I've never really understood the whole thing and I'm still not really sure. She mentioned 160 points per year at $120 per point and that is a 49 year timeframe with $4.22 per point dues for 2011 at BLT. So I have some questions -

1. Why would you buy at a higher point resort? Why not go Saratoga Springs for $99? Does the 4 month jump on other DVC members who buy at that resort really make a difference?

2. Any other 'hidden' costs that DVC isn't going to tell me in a sales pitch? My first thought is that if I can't pay the whole thing up front, I'll have to get a loan so any interest I pay on that money would be added into that total.

So for the example above, if I had a 5 year loan on this, I would pay another $3071 over the course of the loan. If I add this to the total above, and divide by 49 years, I would pay $449 for 160 pts each year PLUS another $675 in dues for 2011. The 449 being fixed, the dues are not. Ok, that doesn't sound too bad because a week at a studio is 134 points for Beach Club during the time I want to go next year and that would cost me about $3000 vs. $1124.

Am I calculating this correctly? I need some help from DVC owners on whether this is making sense - thank you!!!

 

[arthur06]

So Disney suckered me They sent me an offer for $40 gift card to go through a phone tour. I've never really understood the whole thing and I'm still not really sure. She mentioned 160 points per year at $120 per point and that is a 49 year timeframe with $4.22 per point dues for 2011 at BLT. So I have some questions -

If they told you that BLT was $120 per point, they misspoke or flat out lied.

1. Why would you buy at a higher point resort? Why not go Saratoga Springs for $99? Does the 4 month jump on other DVC members who buy at that resort really make a difference?

The 4 month advantage ABSOLUTELY makes a difference. Standard View at BLT is nearly impossible without the 11 month advantage. Also AKL concierge, BWV standard or pretty much for owners only. The most important thing to remember, is Buy where you want to stay.

2. Any other 'hidden' costs that DVC isn't going to tell me in a sales pitch? My first thought is that if I can't pay the whole thing up front, I'll have to get a loan so any interest I pay on that money would be added into that total.

So for the example above, if I had a 5 year loan on this, I would pay another $3071 over the course of the loan. If I add this to the total above, and divide by 49 years, I would pay $449 for 160 pts each year PLUS another $675 in dues for 2011. The 449 being fixed, the dues are not. Ok, that doesn't sound too bad because a week at a studio is 134 points for Beach Club during the time I want to go next year and that would cost me about $3000 vs. $1124.

Am I calculating this correctly? I need some help from DVC owners on whether this is making sense - thank you!!!

I have not checked your math, but remember, that DVC only pays for the room portion of your trip. Any flights, park passes, food, and all other trips add up very fast.

 

[hakepb]

Yes, the rule "buy where you want to stay" matters.

For instance, this summer BLT standard view 1BR was already fully booked on July 3 and 4 when I called the first day of my 7mo window with my SSR points. And times like fall F&W, and December are super popular with DVC members..
But in general you want BLT points if you intend to regularly book BLT MK or standard view rooms.

It really depends on you. Some people are happy when they are at WDW. Others think their vacation is ruined if they do not stay at their favorite resort in their favorite category.

FYI, there is a resale market and you see some SSR contracts selling in the $50 range... (But there are some resale restrictions so you cannot cruise or use points at the non-DVC Disney resorts...)

 

[DebbieB]

Keep in mind that dues are higher at SSR than BLT ($4.73 vs $4.22 for 2012). Plus BLT has an extra 6 years in the contract, 2060 vs 2054. If you want SSR, go resale for about half the price. It would be foolish to buy SSR direct.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

oops, I did not mean to imply they said BLT was $120/pt - they said AKL or something like that. They only told me the dues for BLT though. I know they are not all the same, but I was just trying to get an estimate for what they would be yearly.

I'm still not sold on paying where you want to stay. I can't imagine being so obsessed with one DVC resort. I am also skeptical on the 7 month mark vs. 11 month mark. It is a rarity that I would vacation at Disneyworld over a peak time like fourth of July and Christmas at Disney does not appeal to me. So if I go in the average time (goodness knows what they call it! just not peak or slow), is it really difficult to book at a DVC resort? Most of them appeal to me with the exception of Old Key West and Saratoga.

Of course, I am wondering if they will have any incentives for GF! I'm in no rush to do this so I will keep asking questions and determine if it is right for me.

Thanks for the answers!

 

[arthur06]

The dues are roughly $1.00 per point higher at AKL then BLT.

Remember that busy season for the parks isn't always the same as busy times at DVC. Early December is a low point season for DVC, but is booked early. Trying to get anything in early December can be really touch.

Also, October is extremely popular at the Epcot resorts. Anything at 7 months is almost almost impossible to get multiple nights together.

If you are unsure where you would like to own, there are many people that rent points and will spend a night or two at 3-4 different resorts in a week to get a feel for them.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I'm still not sold on paying where you want to stay. I can't imagine being so obsessed with one DVC resort. I am also skeptical on the 7 month mark vs. 11 month mark. It is a rarity that I would vacation at Disneyworld over a peak time like fourth of July and Christmas at Disney does not appeal to me. So if I go in the average time (goodness knows what they call it! just not peak or slow), is it really difficult to book at a DVC resort? Most of them appeal to me with the exception of Old Key West and Saratoga....

When you think like that, you discount hundreds of DVC members with lots of experience. You can go ahead and buy at the cheapest DVC resort, but when you want a GV or want to stay at one of the Epcot resorts during Food & Wine, or want to come in mid-Nov thru early January or want VB or HHI during summer months, you really need to own at that resort. You may get lucky, but you may lose out as well.

There is a member right now who was trying to get a week at VB in July and hasn't been able to get the entire week yet at 7 months out. BWV only has 7 GV, so you need to own there. The value villas at Jambo House are extremely limited, so if you want to really save points and book those, you need to own there. If you want the MK view or standard view at BLT, you need to own there. If you want the standard view or BW view at BWV, you need to own there.

 

[bookwormde]

IF you are flexible in where you are willing to stay and what size unit and do not travel at peak times then you should have no problems getting a reservation at 7 months, so buy where you want to stay has little impact and does not apply to you.

IF you really want to save money then by resale and to have value use it only for DVC resorts. You can get OKW for $50 or less or SSR for $60 or less.

 

[Bell30012]

My experience has been different. We own at OKW but we've stayed at several others and have not found difficulty getting reservations. We've got a reservation coming up in February for a Standard View Studio at BLT. We didn't have any trouble getting it.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm still not sold on paying where you want to stay. I can't imagine being so obsessed with one DVC resort. I am also skeptical on the 7 month mark vs. 11 month mark. It is a rarity that I would vacation at Disneyworld over a peak time like fourth of July and Christmas at Disney does not appeal to me. So if I go in the average time (goodness knows what they call it! just not peak or slow), is it really difficult to book at a DVC resort? Most of them appeal to me with the exception of Old Key West and Saratoga.

If you're willing to stay *anywhere*, then buying where you want to stay means you can buy wherever you want.

But then you go to say that the two with the MOST availability, even when other resorts are booked fully, don't appeal to you. So really, if you do not want to stay at those resorts, you'd best not buy at either of those resorts, *just in case* someday, when you go to make your reservation, those are the only ones available.


Buying resale means that you'll probably need to pay it all up front (since the type of loan you'll be able to get is most likely a personal loan), and since this March there have been firm restrictions on what you can do with those points. Can't even *take* the Member Cruise, as the resale membership no longer allows you to be eligible for it, even if you want to pay cash. Can't use the points at Paradise Pier or Disneyland Hotel. And other restrictions as well.


We bought at Bay Lake, because it's what was for sale at the time. AKV was also being sold, but DH and the salesguy narrowed it down to Bay Lake b/c the dues are lower. (for now, at least)

Dues are what you'll be paying every year for the life of the contract, so buying a low-cost place CAN end up in much higher monthly bills as you go on with the membership...

 

[LisaS]

I'm still not sold on paying where you want to stay. I can't imagine being so obsessed with one DVC resort. I am also skeptical on the 7 month mark vs. 11 month mark. It is a rarity that I would vacation at Disneyworld over a peak time like fourth of July and Christmas at Disney does not appeal to me. So if I go in the average time (goodness knows what they call it! just not peak or slow), is it really difficult to book at a DVC resort? Most of them appeal to me with the exception of Old Key West and Saratoga.

DVC is designed to be fully booked all year round but there are times that are easier to book than others, specifically late January, early May and mid September. The times that are hardest to book are New Years Eve, early December, Thanksgiving, Christmas week, Easter, any long holiday weekend. Everything else falls somewhere in between.

If as you say you really do not care where you stay and are happy just to be at WDW, then you can save yourself some money and buy one of the less expensive WDW resorts on the resale market, book there 11 months out and then roll the dice and see what you can get 7 months out. This works best if you would be OK staying where you own if you could not get anything else for your preferred dates or are OK with a split stay if you can only get some of your nights booked somewhere else. Most people who follow this approach purchase SSR resale due to its low cost and low dues but you mentioned that SSR does not appeal to you.

Some of us do prefer to stay at particular resorts and want to get our plans solidly in place as early as possible. For example, when we go for the Food & Wine festival we prefer being at an Epcot resort so we can walk to and from the festival. Since we own at BWV, that's where we stay. We want either a great view (guaranteed boardwalk view room) or we want to save points (standard view room) and to get either of those means calling 11 months out. We made a late decision to go to F&W this past year and I didn't call until just over 9 months out. I couldn't get all the nights in a boardwalk view room and had to go on the waiting list which fortunately did eventually come through two months later, saving me from moving twice during our stay.

If you want either Concierge or the inexpensive Value rooms at AKV, it helps to own there so you can book 11 months out. The same holds true for theme park view or standard view at BLT. Some members do manage to book all of those categories 7 months out but it depends on the time of year, the economy, etc. As more DVC resorts are built and the membership grows, so does the competition at non-home resorts 7 months out.

 

[Sandisw]

DVC is a big investment and I would not advise anyone to buy at a resort they are not comfortable staying because at the end of the day, you are buying the right to stay at that resort only.

While it is unlikely to happen, DVC can remove any resort from the "club" and owners there would be restricted to only that resort.

The fact that you say you would enjoy staying at most DVC resorts, then I would pick on of those, but don't buy SSR if you would be disappointed having to stay there.

We own at BLT and paid more for it because we do want to be there each and every trip and want to be able to book it at the 11 month mark. We travel in August (not a busy DVC time) and book SV rooms. Last year, I got the last 2 bedroom for my trip at the 10 month mark so had I not owned there, I would have been shut out of at least that view.

Good luck!

 

[JimMIA]

So Disney suckered me They sent me an offer for $40 gift card to go through a phone tour. I've never really understood the whole thing and I'm still not really sure. She mentioned 160 points per year at $120 per point and that is a 49 year timeframe with $4.22 per point dues for 2011 at BLT. So I have some questions -

Me too:

• BLT sells for $150 per point with a few bucks off with incentives. Why would you pay $138 or whatever when you can buy BLT resale for $90 (maybe less)???
• AKV sells for $120 direct. Why would you pay that (ar anywhere near that) when you can buy AKV for $60-$65 resale???
• SSR sells for $99 with no incentives. Why would you pay that when you can buy SSR for $50-$55 resale???

Forget the super-duper smoke and mirrors game about the price differential between resorts purchased direct! The real differiential is between direct and resale -- and it's a BIG difference for the SAME thing.

 

[JimMIA]

Also, you said they suckered you. If you actually signed a purchase agreement, be advised that you have 10 days to rescind (back out). That is your legal right, and you should exercise it.

Take your time, do your own research, learn the nuts and bolts of how DVC works, figure out whether it is a good fit for your needs...and then make up your own mind understanding what you are doing.

 

[stargazertechie]

Also, you said they suckered you. If you actually signed a purchase agreement, be advised that you have 10 days to rescind (back out). That is your legal right, and you should exercise it.

Take your time, do your own research, learn the nuts and bolts of how DVC works, figure out whether it is a good fit for your needs...and then make up your own mind understanding what you are doing.

OP said they were suckered into a phone tour.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Remember that where you own only matters if you are going to consistently take advantage of the 11 month home resort priority booking. If you can't or won't do that then it doesn't matter where you own.

Take a look at all the DVC options and determine if there is anything that you consistently want to stay in. If so then buying where you want to stay might be important. If you don't find anything in particular you must stay at then purchase the least expensive and have fun seeing what you can get at 7 months!

And look at resale. The difference in price/pt has just gotten too great to pay the premium direct price.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Thank you so much for all the input! I hadn't even realized about the resale versus direct. I will definitely look into all of this before making any decision. I appreciate everyone's responses - it's exactly why I posted the question!

When you think like that, you discount hundreds of DVC members with lots of experience. You can go ahead and buy at the cheapest DVC resort, but when you want a GV or want to stay at one of the Epcot resorts during Food & Wine, or want to come in mid-Nov thru early January or want VB or HHI during summer months, you really need to own at that resort. You may get lucky, but you may lose out as well.

There is a member right now who was trying to get a week at VB in July and hasn't been able to get the entire week yet at 7 months out. BWV only has 7 GV, so you need to own there. The value villas at Jambo House are extremely limited, so if you want to really save points and book those, you need to own there. If you want the MK view or standard view at BLT, you need to own there. If you want the standard view or BW view at BWV, you need to own there.

I am definitely NOT discounting DVC members input - it's exactly why I asked the question. I'm pretty blunt when I'm thinking something - honesty is just easier to deal with than beating around the bush. I hope you haven't been offended.

Also, you said they suckered you. If you actually signed a purchase agreement, be advised that you have 10 days to rescind (back out). That is your legal right, and you should exercise it.

Take your time, do your own research, learn the nuts and bolts of how DVC works, figure out whether it is a good fit for your needs...and then make up your own mind understanding what you are doing.

Let me clarify - I took advantage of the $40 gift card to do a phone tour of DVC. I actually did not have intentions of buying into DVC but I started to think about how I vacation at WDW and thought maybe it was something I should look into. So I did exactly what Disney Vacation Club set out to do - get people to look into and buy DVC that might not if it wasn't for that incentive! So I summed it up as being a sucker for their marketing campaign

 

[DopeysGal82]

Be glad you didn't get "suckered" into the in person tour. We went on it and were so awed that we bought on the spot. D*mn those villas are beautiful!

 

[CMOORE185]

Just so you get another perspective on it, I own at SSR and HHI. I utilize all the resorts and have had almost no problem booking at the 7 month mark. Maybe I am lucky or not interested in the rooms or times that are harder to get, but I have been booking for 11 years and have no complaints about booking at 7 months. One of the hardest to get at 7 months is HHI in the summer, that is about the only resort I book at the 11 month mark.

 

[chalee94]

I am definitely NOT discounting DVC members input - it's exactly why I asked the question.

no one is offended, just pointing out to you that many DVC members have realized that they need to book early and take advantage of their home resort window. SSR and OKW are 2 of the largest DVC resorts...if you are booking 5-6 months out, those often may be the only options left to you.

lots of people bought into SSR with the assumption that they would never have to stay there. the math on that simply doesn't work.

a few posters have commented that they always get what they want by calling exactly at the 7 month window first thing in the morning. they might have had to ride the waitlist for a few months. they might also just be lucky.

but many others have complained about not being able to get what they want after the 7 month window opens. some have sold their DVC and left the boards.

the facts are that there are only enough rooms at BCV, for example, to accommodate the BCV owners for the year. if BCV owners want to try other DVC resorts or opt not to use their pts for whatever reason, that opens up spots for others at the 7 month window. but many BCV owners bought BCV to stay there and have access to epcot/hollywood studios/stormalong bay - so while it's very possible to get BCV as a nonowner - sometimes even on short notice - it's hardly a given...