Factor's in selecting your Home...?

[sconnell]

What do you think are the most important factors when selecting a home resort?

 

[crisi]

In no order:

Points to book
Room size
Walkability to parks/Downtown Disney
Proximity to parks (which is a seperate issue than walkability).
Parking near your room
Integration with Disney CRO Resort
Perceived competition after seven month window opens
Availablity of guarenteed view
Dues
Decor
Theming
Restaurants on site
Restaurants in proximity
Availbility of community hall
Pool
Interior/Exterior hallways
"Feel" of resort (laid back/busy/homey - this will be really subjective)
Transportation
Room service available

You need to decide what is important to you. To me, decor is a big deal and dues are not. To other people dues are a big deal and decor is "who cares?"

 

[Maistre Gracey]

crisi has a great list. The only addition might be the expiration date of the contract.

Theming/decor is also the most important factor for us.

MG

 

[sconnell]

Those are great!
Is there a thread somewhere (because I hate to keep asking questions that I know are asked over and over.) that is a "Where is your home and what do you love most about it?" Thread?

 

[rie'smom]

I picked the BWV because I think the theme is cute and I like the "happenings" on the Boardwalk. Another reason is the ability to walk to Epcot and MGM. That's about it for me.

 

[sconnell]

From BWV or BCV, what's the best way to get to MK? Can you get to the monorails easily enough? Or is the bus the best way? Say you wanted to take the monorail, do you have to go through Epcot? (say Epcot wasn't open yet and it was an EMH morning) I'm looking at maps, but they aren't helping. Anyone got a good map that I could see it? Wait, I just thought about it, it doesn't look like that would work. lol. But IF you did go through Epcot, is it sometimes easier than the Bus? or is the Bus ok?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

A bus would be the easiest. If you did the mono not only would you have a good length walk through Epcot, but you would also have to change trains at the TTC.
The bus, although it may stop at other resorts first, would drop you off right at the MK.

MG

 

[CarolMN]

And you cannot walk through EPCOT until it opens, so no way to get to the MK for morning EMH. Also, you would need a ticket that allows park hopping to walk through EPCOT to get to the monorail in the first place. Then at the TTC, you have to either change to the MK express monorail or walk down to take the ferry.

From the BWV, it's best to take the bus - unless you are just looking for a monorail ride and don't care much about the time it takes. We sometimes we take the monorail route to EPCOT on our way home from the MK just to enjoy the ride - if EPCOT is still open when we want to return.

 

[JimMIA]

Here's a link to a thread which starts with a discussion of home resort. Please note the caveats at the beginning. Good luck with your quest!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=778634

 

[Deb & Bill]

For us, it was what we were offered for sale and we didn't like the BW. And we needed more points and the other two were what Disney was selling. Plus I'm a Yellowstone fan and my husband always wanted to stay at the BC.

 

[mikron]

I picked SSR for the extra years over a resale for other resorts with less years. Then I bought at OKW on resale because of the larger room sizes. OKW great for those larger family trips.

 

[Granny]

What do you think are the most important factors when selecting a home resort?

For us, it was selecting the resort that makes us feel immediately "at home" when we are there. From the instant we walk into the doors, our worries and troubles seem to subside. That great "AAAAHHHHH" feeling as the blood pressure lowers and a unstoppable smile crosses your lips.

And one of the great things about DVC is you can honestly find DVC owners who feel that way for each of the DVC resorts, including Vero Beach and Hilton Head.

For us, that "coming home feeling" is more important than resort location, amenities, length of contract or any other rational, objective quality that can be identified about a resort.

Of course, if you have no emotional ties to a resort, then I'd go with the rational list!

 

[Disney Doll]

When we were purchasing, DH & I asked ourselves this question:

"If they changed the rules, and we could not stay anywhere except our home resort, would we always be happy to stay here?"

The answer was yes, so we bought.

Some other things to consider:

~Location (if you are a huge fan of one specific park, then a resort with the quickest access to that park would be a good choice)
~Unit size
~Theme

BTW, our home resort is OKW.

 

[owtrbnks]

Well for us, we got ROFRed on a resale. My wife got mad, and decided we should just buy 150 pts. at SSR direct. (The extra years and no chance of ROFR is what did it.) That was last year.

This year we bought a resale through the TSS (recommended) at HHI. (Now that she's a DVCer she doesn't care about the ROFR Monster!)

I can't believe it's ALMOST NEXT YEAR!!! (AKV or CRV?)

 

[Didney Daddy]

I think Granny said it best, it you walk in and everyone smiles then you have found your Disney home. For us, BCV.

 

[dsneygirl]

For us, it was selecting the resort that makes us feel immediately "at home" when we are there. From the instant we walk into the doors, our worries and troubles seem to subside. That great "AAAAHHHHH" feeling as the blood pressure lowers and a unstoppable smile crosses your lips.

For us it was an emotional thing as well. DH spent many years on camping trips at FW and he loves the entire Bay Lake area. WL feels like a home. Although SSR is beautiful and we enjoyed our stay there it didn't give us that goosebumps feeling.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Location for us! I didn't care for the location of SSR and when my guide said that BW points were available I was doing flips!!

But another perk to owning at the BW was the reduced points for the standard view rooms!! Not to mention the fact that I absolutely LOVE IT there!

 

[jade1]

We love Florida but would never pick central Florida as a time share location over either coast except for WDW parks. Therfore the closer to WDW, the more of WDW you can experience out your door, the more of WDW you can see from your room-the better for that 1 or 2 weeks a year we get to visit. So for us its absolutley LOCATION first. BCV/BWV for views and locations to EPCOT and MGM and VWL for MK. We can ride buses/shuttles/taxi's/drive and relax at quiet beautiful resorts anywhere around WDW-but thats not why were there. Since we could enjoy these resorts and not own there (still dont at BWV) is great, but not worth the hassle/risk of not owning there.