"experienced" DVC members, please respond

[TinkABoutIt]

Hello! I am looking into buying into DVC....we are exploring resales as well as through Disney...I am 33....if I buy a resale, I will be 70 and my hubby 75 when it expires....now...this may seem silly, will I care at 70 that it expired or will I regret it and wish I still had another 10-12 years (in our 80's) I realize that my kids could use it, but when I am 70, my kids will be in their 40's and late 30's.....also......just to take a poll, what if your favorite family DVC resort?
Thanks to all who have been SOOOOO helpful! You are all so awesome to help me!

 

[JimC]

What are your priorities?

OKW has largest villas, lowest WDW point requirements and pretty near the lowest maintenance fees. It is laid back and relaxing.

All other resorts are about the same size, variations are minor. But it, like OKW is a bit removed from the parks.

BCV has the best pool on property -- SAB and is close to two parks, golf, great dining.

VWL is closest to MK, has great dining, wonderful theming and you can walk to Ft Wilderness campgrounds.

For us the best resort is OKW. If we were your age we would have bought SSR when it first went on sale to lock in the extra 12 years then.

You might want to ladder your points -- multiple contracts, some resale and some direct (to get the incentives offered if worthwhile) and mix the resorts -- say half OKW and half SSR. That way you have some points that will have the longer contract and extra points during the years you may want larger villas for the whole family. If BCV and VWL are important and you want in prime time buy there instead of OKW.

 

[NMW]

We didn't care about the 12 extra years when we bought our resale last year either. We wanted an Epcot resort and that's what we bought-BWV. We have 3 kids- 8,6 and 3. We would have also bought BCV, but like the Boardwalk-view/standard points options at BWV's. We love being so close to Epcot and MGM.

 

[pbharris4]

My 2 cents would be to not only think about now, but also 20-30 years from now. I am also 33 (DH 35). We bought 175 pts 3 years ago. We COULD have bought more. In fat, I said let's get 225 points, but we were being conservative. I got pregnant with my 2nd child the month after we closed. We just added those extra 50 pts that we should have gotten before. It gives us more flexibility. We can go down 2 x a year or a longer stay. The studios (IMO) are OK when the kids are little, but as they grow up I want to be in a seperate room. And we didn't think too much about it before, but when we all go down when our kids have kids we can all have seperate rooms or we can send one family down one year and the other the next and WE can still go every year, too. One thing I see alot is people say you can always add later (which is true), but if you buy too many points (I don't think you can ever buy too many )you can always sell some of them. If I could, I'd buy another 400 points. DVC is great..even if you don't want to go to the parks you can just lounge by the pool, go to the movies, shop, eat out, go dancing, etc. and you know what kind of place you'll be staying in..a nice one!

 

[TinkABoutIt]

The studios (IMO) are OK when the kids are little, but as they grow up I want to be in a seperate room.

Do they allow 6 in a studio? My youngest 2 are currently 2 and 8 months....

 

[OKW91]

We have been members since day one and age never was a part of our purchase. We have now retired, and this past winter we used the DVC resorts as a winter retreat. We spent a total of 45 days out of more then 3 months in Florida at OKW. It was one of the best Winters we have had. Now that we are retired we can spend more time at the DVC's, so being older actually has it's advantages! We met several other couples who were using the DVC as a Winter retirement home also. We bring our grandchildren down every Xmas for a week and there parents also spend a week at OKW each year. These are good reasons why I don't think that age should play that big a part in making your purchase. I hope to still be going down, God willing, in my eighties and hopefully in my nineties! I am sure that my children will enjoy it till the very end, I know we will!!!! I guess you can tell that are favorite resort is OKW we just love the size of the units, the atmosphere, and the parking access to the rooms. Hope this is some help to you in making your decision!

 

[TinkABoutIt]

You might want to ladder your points -- multiple contracts, some resale and some direct (to get the incentives offered if worthwhile) and mix the resorts -- say half OKW and half SSR. That way you have some points that will have the longer contract and extra points during the years you may want larger villas for the whole family. If BCV and VWL are important and you want in prime time buy there instead of OKW.

OK....this is the question....If I have 2 home resorts, I realize I could book 11 months in advance for either, BUT.....can I apply all of points (for both contracts at the time of booking? For ex., I have 150 at OKW and 100 at SS.... Can I then take all 250 pts. and book at OKW 11 months in advance or do I only spend my 150 and then 7 months before try to upgrade?

I would also say my priorities really are not clear yet. I love the mouse and I have 4 daughters who are little Cinderella's.... We have only stayed at All Stars and Coronado Springs in the past....what we like about the idea of DVC really is being able to stay in a nice home-like place and enjoying ,of course DW, but also being able to possibly travel to other places with our points (NY, Europe, etc.)

 

[laceemouse]

Jen, to answer your question, NO, you are never supposed to have 6 in a studio. The occupancy limits are for whatever number plus ONE child under 3. Anyway, if you had 2 pack and plays set up in a studio you would NOT be able to walk. They are very small. ALSO, those little people are going to grow up much faster than you realize. Of course, you can always add more points later, but believe me you will need more. When the kids hit the pre-teens they no longer bath together, run around naked, and sleep in a pile. You are going to need a 2 bedroom much quicker than you realize. There is much debate about this, but sleeping on the floor and waiting in line for the bathroom is not my idea of a vacation. Plus, you do not get a washer/dryer in a studio. We think DVC is a great deal. If you love staying onsite and like deluxe accomodations it is the way to go. If you want to get by as cheaply as possible, off site is a much better deal moneywise. I voted BCV because we love the location and SAB. OKW has the largest rooms though, which may be your best bet if you intend to squeeze in more than the allowed number into a unit on every trip. JMO.

 

[laceemouse]

And another NO, you can not use the points 11 months out at a resort that they are not owned at. My plan is to book some nights at one resort and some at the other 11 months out and then at 7 months switch one so that the entire stay is at one resort. We own at BCV and VWL. Another option is borrowing. We could switch between the 2 resorts from year to year and still have enough points at 11 months with banking/borrowing.

 

[laceemouse]

You also need to really look at how many points it takes to go to other locations, particularly with 6 people. We own 160 BCV points and 250 VWL points and it would WIPE US OUT for a couple of years if we tried to use points for a cruise or another destination. We also have 4 kids. Just make sure you check the points required for those kinds of trips if you really want to exchange. We own other T/Ss (which were much cheaper than DVC) that we use for exchanges. DVC is really the best deal if you are going to WDW.

 

[TinkABoutIt]

When the kids hit the pre-teens they no longer bath together, run around naked, and sleep in a pile. .

You made me laugh out loud so hard!

 

[TinkABoutIt]

And another NO, you can not use the points 11 months out at a resort that they are not owned at. My plan is to book some nights at one resort and some at the other 11 months out and then at 7 months switch one so that the entire stay is at one resort. We own at BCV and VWL. Another option is borrowing. We could switch between the 2 resorts from year to year and still have enough points at 11 months with banking/borrowing.

SO if I split my points between 2 resorts on a resale, I then have to book only with the pts. I have for that resort and then 7 months before, try to get the others to add to it, right?

 

[erikthewise]

Another type of scenario is if you own (for example) 150 points each at two different resorts, you could book 300 point stays at each resort in alternating years, banking or borrowing points as necessary. Then you could always book the full stay at 11 months.

Example: Suppose you own 150 BWV points and 150 OKW points, each beginning in 2006 use year.

2006: Stay at BWV, using 150 (BWV 2006) points plus 150 (BWV 2007) points (borrowed). 150 OKW points are banked.
2007: Stay at OKW, using 150 (OKW 2007) points plus 150 (OKW 2006) points (banked).
2008: Repeat 2006
2009: Repeat 2007
etc

All kinds of variations on this scheme are possible, but planning is necessary.

 

[TinkABoutIt]

Example: Suppose you own 150 BWV points and 150 OKW points, each beginning in 2006 use year.

2006: Stay at BWV, using 150 (BWV 2006) points plus 150 (BWV 2007) points (borrowed). 150 OKW points are banked.
2007: Stay at OKW, using 150 (OKW 2007) points plus 150 (OKW 2006) points (banked).
2008: Repeat 2006
2009: Repeat 2007
etc

All kinds of variations on this scheme are possible, but planning is necessary.

What a brilliant mind.....never thought about that...probably because I am not a member yet, but that is absolutely what I "tink" I am going to do....that seems like a great way to do it!

 

[CharlesTD]

We love Boardwalk and Saratoga Springs. Saratoga is so beautiful and the kids splash pad is wonderful at the pool we also love the proximity to DTD. Our favourite though it BWV we love the pool and how close it is to MGM and Epcot and we love the activity around the resort always lots to see and do. We are not a lets relax and hang out type of family we are always on teh go and have to always be busy doing things so those 2 resorts are best suited to us SSR because it is nice and close to the activity of DTD.

 

[TinkABoutIt]

We are not a lets relax and hang out type of family we are always on teh go and have to always be busy doing things so those 2 resorts are best suited to us SSR because it is nice and close to the activity of DTD.

We are not the relaxed type either....we go, go , go also! That is a helpful tip!

 

[CharlesTD]

"We are not the relaxed type either....we go, go , go also! That is a helpful tip! "

You are making me blush you are very welcome I am glad that the info was of some use.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Where is quite a personal question that will be rather specific for different folks. We really like OKW for the vacation home feel and the fact that it is a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of the ngith life etc. Others prefer the hotel feel of a resort right in the hubub of the action. If you have visited either resort, that would be the best way to tell which is for you. FWIW, the extra space of each 1,2, and 3 bedroom unit at OKW would make me give that resort the edge right there. Also the lower point requirements mean you have a bit more flixibility for point totals needed.

 

[JimC]

OK....this is the question....If I have 2 home resorts, I realize I could book 11 months in advance for either, BUT.....can I apply all of points (for both contracts at the time of booking? For ex., I have 150 at OKW and 100 at SS.... Can I then take all 250 pts. and book at OKW 11 months in advance or do I only spend my 150 and then 7 months before try to upgrade?

No you can only use home resort points for 11 month booking advantage. But you could transfer points from one contract to the other at seven months to get larger accommodations or extend the trip, assuming availability.

 

[StephenKay]

Hi there,

Having visitedthe resorts and if I had a family of 6 their would be no contest for me. OKW is excellent for larger families. Don't be put by the "My resort is best crowd" all the resorts have different pros and cons. OKW is lovely, you will never regret it.

PS: I own at VWL.