First Time/DVC-Curious

[CastAStone]

Thank you all for your thorough and varied responses!

A bit more information: We live 40 minutes to 2 hours from Disneyland (SoCal traffic is fun!) and I imagine our first few trips with the boy will be longer weekends since Disneyland is a lot and he might need a nap (as I might as I get older...). The way I was thinking about DVC, book a WDW trip for once every couple of years but if plans fall through for some reason, use points at Disneyland.

One of you mentioned that renting out points have tax implications for the owner. I don't own rental properties but this makes sense and is something I might need to look into if I were to amp up this search. My CPA told me in the past that rental income is deductible but I need to check about that. I was actually going to ask: how difficult is it to rent points to someone else? How far in advance do you rent those points out? What's the average rate of return? Does it change significantly if we're talking Animal Kingdom vs. Copper Creek vs. Disneyland Hotel vs. Grand Californian vs. Grand Floridian as a home resort?

One thing that seems clear from your collective responses is that I'm not quite ready yet and need to gauge how frequently we travel to WDW (and maybe Disneyland). The one thing I do see, however, is that my ideal method of purchasing might be direct at Animal Kingdom since I can stay at Disneyland Hotel and they seem to have a competitive incentive at the moment. Another question is: how common or uncommon is this type of incentive? Might it come back -- or something like it -- in the next couple years?

Thanks again for all your feedback!

I think the AKV incentive is unlikely to be repeated for a while. A couple years? Maybe. The last one for AKV was a couple years ago. But the last one before that was much longer. We haven’t seen an offer on Beach Club since it sold out in 2005. It’s a bit of a crapshoot.

 

[intamin]

Thank you all for your thorough and varied responses!

A bit more information: We live 40 minutes to 2 hours from Disneyland (SoCal traffic is fun!) and I imagine our first few trips with the boy will be longer weekends since Disneyland is a lot and he might need a nap (as I might as I get older...). The way I was thinking about DVC, book a WDW trip for once every couple of years but if plans fall through for some reason, use points at Disneyland.

One of you mentioned that renting out points have tax implications for the owner. I don't own rental properties but this makes sense and is something I might need to look into if I were to amp up this search. My CPA told me in the past that rental income is deductible but I need to check about that. I was actually going to ask: how difficult is it to rent points to someone else? How far in advance do you rent those points out? What's the average rate of return? Does it change significantly if we're talking Animal Kingdom vs. Copper Creek vs. Disneyland Hotel vs. Grand Californian vs. Grand Floridian as a home resort?

One thing that seems clear from your collective responses is that I'm not quite ready yet and need to gauge how frequently we travel to WDW (and maybe Disneyland). The one thing I do see, however, is that my ideal method of purchasing might be direct at Animal Kingdom since I can stay at Disneyland Hotel and they seem to have a competitive incentive at the moment. Another question is: how common or uncommon is this type of incentive? Might it come back -- or something like it -- in the next couple years?

Thanks again for all your feedback!

There’s really no rhyme or reason as to when certain sold out resorts will come back. They previously were ROFRing a lot of SSR, OKW, AKV so that’s what is being put on sale right now. The better deal is usually to buy the resort that is actively selling but some of the incentives they throw on these sold out resorts can be quite competitive. The last time AKV went on sale was like.. a little over a year ago I think? But they do not have a consistent schedule on when they sell these sold out resorts.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Thank you all for your thorough and varied responses!

A bit more information: We live 40 minutes to 2 hours from Disneyland (SoCal traffic is fun!) and I imagine our first few trips with the boy will be longer weekends since Disneyland is a lot and he might need a nap (as I might as I get older...). The way I was thinking about DVC, book a WDW trip for once every couple of years but if plans fall through for some reason, use points at Disneyland.

One of you mentioned that renting out points have tax implications for the owner. I don't own rental properties but this makes sense and is something I might need to look into if I were to amp up this search. My CPA told me in the past that rental income is deductible but I need to check about that. I was actually going to ask: how difficult is it to rent points to someone else? How far in advance do you rent those points out? What's the average rate of return? Does it change significantly if we're talking Animal Kingdom vs. Copper Creek vs. Disneyland Hotel vs. Grand Californian vs. Grand Floridian as a home resort?

One thing that seems clear from your collective responses is that I'm not quite ready yet and need to gauge how frequently we travel to WDW (and maybe Disneyland). The one thing I do see, however, is that my ideal method of purchasing might be direct at Animal Kingdom since I can stay at Disneyland Hotel and they seem to have a competitive incentive at the moment. Another question is: how common or uncommon is this type of incentive? Might it come back -- or something like it -- in the next couple years?

Thanks again for all your feedback!

I genuinely think this is going to end up on the “I wish I had purchased sooner” story lines 5-6 years from now.

I completely disagree that someone needs to book 7m out to stay at Disneyland Hotel most of the year, it’s just having access to points that work there that matter. Perhaps for a 1 bedroom, but this size family can rock studios for a while and there is availability.

This board is so FL/WDW focused…..

There is absolutely no need to own at animal kingdom to stay at animal kingdom…. there is nearly always capacity.

You have to own at one of the Disneyland resorts if you want to stay there during the holidays.

 

[Sean81995]

I genuinely think this is going to end up on the “I wish I had purchased sooner” story lines 5-6 years from now.

I completely disagree that someone needs to book 7m out to stay at Disneyland Hotel most of the year, it’s just having access to points that work there that matter. Perhaps for a 1 bedroom, but this size family can rock studios for a while and there is availability.

This board is so FL/WDW focused…..

There is absolutely no need to own at animal kingdom to stay at animal kingdom…. there is nearly always capacity.

You have to own at one of the Disneyland resorts if you want to stay there during the holidays.

Thanks for the perspective. Are there usually savannah views at animal kingdom 1 and 2 bedroom available around the holidays at 7 months?

Curious that if you think it's worth my looking to buy sooner rather than later, what resort/mode of purchase you think might be best given the circumstances? I honestly don't think I'm going to buy until at least next year but who knows.

 

[intamin]

I genuinely think this is going to end up on the “I wish I had purchased sooner” story lines 5-6 years from now.

I completely disagree that someone needs to book 7m out to stay at Disneyland Hotel most of the year, it’s just having access to points that work there that matter. Perhaps for a 1 bedroom, but this size family can rock studios for a while and there is availability.

This board is so FL/WDW focused…..

There is absolutely no need to own at animal kingdom to stay at animal kingdom…. there is nearly always capacity.

You have to own at one of the Disneyland resorts if you want to stay there during the holidays.

I don't think any of us are saying you need to own at AKV to stay at AKV. We're saying DVC may not make sense for OP given their long term goals since they're saying they only want to go at times every 3 years to WDW and that being in their own words the main reason they want to buy. I may be wrong about this but it sounds like OP's long term plans don't include regular trips to Disney.

If OP wants to go to Disneyland regularly and stay there on property then YES, consider buying direct VDH. But if the primary goal is to stay at WDW regularly when comparing direct VDH to a resale WDW contract OP's losses would be much less reselling a resale WDW contract than reselling a contract they bought direct and this is ignoring the benefit of a lower opportunity cost. It's not like OP will benefit from the annual passes going once every 3 years, the only benefit of going direct would be being able to book VDH in which case if he wants to do that he should be buying direct VDH and using the points at both VDH and WDW.

Regarding the 7 month availability I mean.. I'm looking at the availability and there are less nights available within the 7 month window currently than I have fingers and toes among all 6 studio types at Disneyland Hotel so I wouldn't say that availability is great under 7 months either at VDH. I think we're pretty liberal with who we recommend DVC for, there's a reason nearly all of us have been afflicted with addonitis but if he's only going to go to WDW every 3 years and that's the main purpose for the contract then I can't in good conscience recommend it. On the other hand if he wants to go to Disneyland every year and can plan his trips accordingly and throw in WDW occasionally as well, VDH direct would work great for that. If he wants to go to WDW every other year and doesn't feel the need to stay at VDH because he lives pretty close to Disneyland, a resale WDW contract would make more sense. But again I come back to, does DVC make sense for this person who puts a lot of value on the flexibility of his vacations? And I still don't think it does when compared to renting points.

 

[intamin]

Thanks for the perspective. Are there usually savannah views at animal kingdom 1 and 2 bedroom available around the holidays at 7 months?

Curious that if you think it's worth my looking to buy sooner rather than later, what resort/mode of purchase you think might be best given the circumstances? I honestly don't think I'm going to buy until at least next year but who knows.

AKV is very easy to book at Walt Disney World. You do not need to own there to book there. The only rooms there that are hard to book are the value and club level rooms and I would advise against buying at AKV specifically for that. CCV on the other hand is another story during December. If you want to buy DVC and want to stay at Disneyland regularly, you should be buying direct VDH and you can use those points at Disney World at 7 months as you wish.

 

[Cfabar1]

I have not read the other opinions, so as to be as impartial and off the cuff as possible... I reserve the right to edit and change my views after seeing what others are thinking and where the conversation has evolved... here are my thoughts:

1. Does my situation sound like a match for DVC?
Maybe, once every three years makes sense... any less than that absolutely not...
2. If so, and if I plan to stay late December, what resort might be a good buy given my preferences? Resale/direct, etc.?
Late December is the most expensive time of the year at all resorts... resale will save you $$$s, but it is a very in demand time... I would buy where you want to stay... for me, I'm enough of a miser I would find that time of the year would really tempt me to want to stay at OKW for the points chart....
3. How do banking and borrowing points work and how much flexibility is there with that? I imagine I'd do it a bunch if I bought in.
You can bank up to 100% percent of the previous year, and borrow up to 100% of the next year.. but do know that this is at Disney's discretion
4. What tools are there that I can use to measure what kind of purchase can be a good buy for me?
I would use tools that help you see availability.
5. I understand there is a 7-month booking window for hotels that aren't the home resort. Are there folks on here who know if 1- and 2-bedrooms are easy or hard to get at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Savannah view/ideally Jambo House), Wilderness Lodge (either section), Grand Floridian, Grand Californian, and Disneyland Hotel around the holidays?
Wow... so Animal Kingdom lodge is a huge resort.. right at 7 months your chances should be decent... Wilderness Lodge will be easier at BRV I think... Grand Californian Good luck! VGF will be tricky with the expansion of the new building... I am not sure about Disneyland Hotel...

Last thing I will say is DVC is not a decision to make lightly... when considering consider that unlike other timeshares there are some additional costs that are going to continue besides dues:
1. Annual Pass fees and/or theme park tickets are expensive.
2. Food at Disney is expensive
3. Flights (if applicable)

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

I’m thinking AK resale would work well for you, or CC resale, and maybe SS resale. If you’re trying to gather the family at the holidays using DVC; A) REALLY know your audience. Lots of people are gung-ho in theory to do big/expensive trips, but an equal amount of people think points are free and will bail last minute, wasting a huge trip/points. WDW is an expensive trip, even with someone offering a free room.

B) If your family won’t flake and you want holiday meet-up trips, the CC cabins or GV are amazing spaces. As well, the GV at AKK/AKJ are so cool! Even if you have folks who are not park people, AKJ is STUNNING at Christmas, and the on-site dining is wonderful. I’m taking my son to an AKJ trip in January and doing the elephant and rhino tour, starlight safari, and any arts and crafts available. The parks are not the focus anymore, at least not as much.

C) If you think you want GVs in December, definitely buy where you want to stay. I know you said 1B/2B, but if everyone is meeting up at WDW, it’s nice to have the booking options.

D) Do YouTube tours of every resort and room category. Everyone says they’re fine with a studio with littles, but it’s SO MUCH BETTER in a 1B/2B. With a young son and possibly another, you may want a MK base — like Poly. You could get a good deal resale on BLT before their refurbishment.

E) Epcot/HS favorite parks? Riviera is economical(ish) for direct points, and you do need to own there for the cheaper standard rooms.

F) VDH makes me nervous for that TOT, but being from CA, it would be awesome to have that available.

G) Don’t count on every 2-3 years. I bet you will come more!

 

[Chili327]

Hi all, nice to e-meet everyone...

I'm looking into potentially purchasing a Disney Vacation Club contract. I've done a bunch of research, but am honestly not sure if it's right for me and would love some guidance. A bit about my situation: I have gone to Disney World several times when I was a kid (loved it) and am hoping to share similar experiences with my son, who's just an infant. My wife and I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge right after we got married 6 and a half years ago and loved it. I'm almost 40 and she's in her mid-30s. We live driving distance from Disneyland and would love to take some long weekend trips there, but the main reason I'm looking into purchasing is for WDW and the fact that our family is on the East Coast and would love to do some larger trips there in the coming years. Over the past 15 or so years, our work vacation windows have really been around the December holidays... and I imagine the kid will have that time off from school too. We hope to have another child if we're lucky, and one of the appeals of DVC from what I can see is the ability to stay in accommodations with multiple rooms/beds/bathrooms. Would really target 1- or 2-bedrooms for our stays.

As much as we love Disney, we don't want that to be our only type of vacation. Would think of doing a WDW trip every other year or every third year once the boy is 2 or 3 (clearly planning early here) and a short Disneyland trip perhaps in the years we don't go to WDW. Also maybe Aulani, which my wife and I have been to but prefer other Hawaiian vacations to. I also might want to sell the contract if the kids "grow out" of Disney/Marvel/Star Wars (a possibility, even though I never really did). In terms of preferred hotels at WDW, we love Animal Kingdom Lodge but also would love to try Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge. Would love to try Grand Californian as well (which I heard is tough to get into if you don't own directly there) and Disneyland Hotel out here.

Given all this information, I'd love advice on the following:

1. Does my situation sound like a match for DVC?
2. If so, and if I plan to stay late December, what resort might be a good buy given my preferences? Resale/direct, etc.?
3. How do banking and borrowing points work and how much flexibility is there with that? I imagine I'd do it a bunch if I bought in.
4. What tools are there that I can use to measure what kind of purchase can be a good buy for me?
5. I understand there is a 7-month booking window for hotels that aren't the home resort. Are there folks on here who know if 1- and 2-bedrooms are easy or hard to get at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Savannah view/ideally Jambo House), Wilderness Lodge (either section), Grand Floridian, Grand Californian, and Disneyland Hotel around the holidays?

Would appreciate any and all advice on this. Thank you!

First thing I’d do is see how many points you need per trip. Example, my ideal is about 150pts, and I plan to go every other year, so I only need a 75pts… once you determine that number then you can start looking at resale contracts, and I would say a small test contract will give you something to use and of course you’ll want to add-on in the near future anyway.

I know people always talk about the commitment, but if you’re buying resale and you don’t over pay you can get most of your money back pretty easily buy selling. So don’t sweat the small stuff. Just Do It!

I genuinely think this is going to end up on the “I wish I had purchased sooner” story lines 5-6 years from now.

I completely disagree that someone needs to book 7m out to stay at Disneyland Hotel most of the year, it’s just having access to points that work there that matter. Perhaps for a 1 bedroom, but this size family can rock studios for a while and there is availability.

This board is so FL/WDW focused…..

There is absolutely no need to own at animal kingdom to stay at animal kingdom…. there is nearly always capacity.

You have to own at one of the Disneyland resorts if you want to stay there during the holidays.

For Dlsneyland, I agree, just buy some VDH direct later after you’re comfortable with DVC.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Thanks for the perspective. Are there usually savannah views at animal kingdom 1 and 2 bedroom available around the holidays at 7 months?

Curious that if you think it's worth my looking to buy sooner rather than later, what resort/mode of purchase you think might be best given the circumstances? I honestly don't think I'm going to buy until at least next year but who knows.

Here is a site that tracks availability at various resorts based on room type. Not a guarantee, but it gives you an idea : https://www.dvchelp.com/page/animal-kingdom-villas-kidani-village-availability-charts

Honestly, as others have said I would not council you to buy into a WDW DVC resort unless you feel very confident that your family will go to WDW at least once every 3 years for 10 years or more.

However, your location and family description and future family goals lead me to believe that you will likely be frequent Disneylanders with the occasional trip to WDW and Aulani.

I am pretty biased here because flying into John Wayne and shutting over to stay on property for 4-5 nights is what we have been doing with our kids at least once a year since they were born. However, if we moved back to SoCal my wife would still want us to keep our points because waking up in a Disney hotel room and walking to the park, going back for an afternoon rest, and then going back to the park at night without ever having to cross Harbor or Kattella is unbeatable.

If you think that your family would feel similar, then the DVC option at The Disneyland Hotel direct from Disney becomes a very intriguing option. You can use the points at WDW, both Disney resorts, Aulani, and any future resorts built as part of Disneyland forward.

So in essence, it’s a very safe bet if you want to stay on Disneyland property at least once per year. If you find yourself constantly running short of points because you like the DVC options at Aulani, WDW, or the Disneyland hotel more than you thought and find yourself wanting to visit there more often then you can very easily add more DVC points (direct or resale) in the future.

There is a 0% for 6-months financing option for DVC if you buy through the Chase Disney Visa card and want to put part of the money down now and spread the rest out over 6-months.

However, there is no rush. I agree with all of the sentiments that recommend you taking your time to learn the system. However, realize that the DVC community is VERY heavily centered towards WDW and that tends to lead towards people recommending the best options to build a WDW portfolio…. because that is their experience.

However, I’ll reiterate that I believe you should not buy any DVC points that would not have access to the Disneyland Hotel or future Disneyland FWD resorts unless you are very confident you will travel to those locations at a minimum one time every three years.

 

[Jwaire]

You sound like a great candidate for renting DVC points instead of owning. You are not going to have trouble getting an AKL 1 bedroom through the rental agencies. You may not get Jambo, but sounds like you'll be fine at Kidani.

DVC makes the most sense if you are staying every year. Two is riskier. The math and risk gets really hard at three because you are banking and borrowing. If you are not an 11 month planner, you're going to find DVC very frustrating.

If you are just dead set on doing it, you could pick up a 50-75 point resale contract at Saratoga or Copper and try it out. If it doesn't work out, you can resell it and not incur a huge loss (such as a 150pt direct purchase).

I would not purchase direct at the Villas at Disneyland Hotel to stay at Walt Disney World. There are so many more economical options especially if you prefer to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I would also caution you about purchasing the Villas at Disneyland Hotel period unless you just love that resort and that's where you plan on staying. There's a myriad of reasons why to stay away from VDH including restricted points if sold, expensive nightly tax (TOT), second tier location, high annual dues, unknown rental interest, nice alternatives nearby, etc.

You can research all of those on your own using the search feature.

Welcome to the boards.

 

[AstroBlasters]

You sound like a great candidate for renting DVC points instead of owning. You are not going to have trouble getting an AKL 1 bedroom through the rental agencies. You may not get Jambo, but sounds like you'll be fine at Kidani.

DVC makes the most sense if you are staying every year. Two is riskier. The math and risk gets really hard at three because you are banking and borrowing. If you are not an 11 month planner, you're going to find DVC very frustrating.

If you are just dead set on doing it, you could pick up a 50-75 point resale contract at Saratoga or Copper and try it out. If it doesn't work out, you can resell it and not incur a huge loss (such as a 150pt direct purchase).

I would not purchase direct at the Villas at Disneyland Hotel to stay at Walt Disney World. There are so many more economical options especially if you prefer to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I would also caution you about purchasing the Villas at Disneyland Hotel period unless you just love that resort and that's where you plan on staying. There's a myriad of reasons why to stay away from VDH including restricted points if sold, expensive nightly tax (TOT), second tier location, high annual dues, unknown rental interest, nice alternatives nearby, etc.

You can research all of those on your own using the search feature.

Welcome to the boards.

I am not a VDH owner, but laughed out loud when I read your ridiculous takedown of it.

My favorite is where you advise to look at Saratoga Springs or Copper Creek but call The Disneyland Hotel a 2nd rate location…

And you pay the transient tax whether you stay at the Villas as Disneyland Hotel or any other hotel near Disneyland….

Unknown rental interest…. Man are you reaching…..

 

[BuzzLightyr]

I would focus your DVC points on large trips away vs. use at Disneyland if you are a local.

First - ask yourself if you would spend $25/point+tax (rental rate) to stay at VDH?
I'd argue if you're local, putting that money in an annual pass and shorter more frequent trips makes more sense. There are plenty of offsite options that are much more reasonably priced.

Adding the VDH flexibility becomes expensive (because of direct points), and if you had extra points, i'd suggest renting out those points and you can rent at VDH (direct or through a rental agency) if you need.

My view on VDH is that it's ideal for those based in NorCal - short flight to DL, much closer than WDW, but far enough away that you need a hotel to stay. Pricers are high - but there is also a lot of wealth in NorCal with where tech stocks are trading.

I would buy enough points for you to use every two years. Every three requires too much to go perfectly.

Even if you don't go to WDW every two years, being California based, Aulani beomces a compelling option to use your points. I'd optimize on your Disney WDW trips and use Aulani as your alternate for points usage.

 

[Floridian From Afar]

Do you want to become a DVC member? I ask because some people get a source of happiness joining DVC.

People go back and forth on these boards debating questions like these, assuming that there's always a right answer and a wrong answer. In truth, there are so many factors to take into account, rarely is the purchase going to be either entirely the right choice or entirely the wrong choice.

Is buying DVC going to save you money? No, unless you know for a fact that you're going to pay cash for Disney hotels on a regular basis for 40-50 years. Would staying at on offsite hotel ruin your Disney vacations? If so, then that's your answer. If not, there's plenty of options for large families to stay together and for less $$$.

But purchases aren't always about finances. There's an intangible aspect to DVC, or any purchase, that you can't put a dollar value to.

And that's why I think it'll be impossible for anyone to tell you what's right or wrong.

Ultimately, don't put yourself into financial difficulty to join.

My 2 cents. And I admit I didn't read the other responses, so this may be repetitive.

 

[Chili327]

Pricers are high - but there is also a lot of wealth in NorCal with where tech stocks are trading.

Never been up here eh? lol

That little section of "NorCal' is so small compared to the rest of the north state. I live and work in one of the cheapest places in the state.

 

[Genie+]

Thanks for the perspective. Are there usually savannah views at animal kingdom 1 and 2 bedroom available around the holidays at 7 months?

Curious that if you think it's worth my looking to buy sooner rather than later, what resort/mode of purchase you think might be best given the circumstances? I honestly don't think I'm going to buy until at least next year but who knows.

I think your particular dilemma is this:

DVC doesn’t make the best sense if using less than twice every 3 years.

It’s sounds like the way you’d cross that line is by visiting DL, but that almost requires either direct or VGC purchase.

VGC is hard to trade into and newly purchased resale doesn’t trade into DLH. Hmmm… you’d have 3 years to find that rare VGC opening that works for you. I just checked 7 month availability right now and the only VGC openings were 1BR one night in Feb, and 2BR for one night in Jan or two nights together in Feb. If you don’t mind checking often, that will help. The more specific your room size and/or dates, the harder it will be.

I can see a case either way - to buy or not to buy.

If visiting WDW less than every 20 months or so, and enjoy AKV which cash discounts often put it the cheapest deluxe range, committing to the cash upfront DVC with less flexible terms doesn’t seem worthwhile.

But I also think maybe you’re erring on the conservative side? I did the same before our first purchase. I didn’t want to let DVC push us into a bigger habit lol, so I estimated with the minimum we’d definitely use the points. If that’s true and you might be visiting a little more frequently than described in your opening post? The case for DVC gets stronger.

 

[sndral]

1. Yup

2. You'll want to get direct for maximum flexibility, the other option is resale but for you doesnt sound like a great fit between wanting to have use at disneyland and wdw. Direct is gonna be the worst option for selling later, go in know you are not going to get what you bought for (those days are long gone), resale you can most likely sell right around what you buy in for depending on resort and when you sell. As far as what resort you want to get, up to you. Poly tower should go in sale in the next few months and might be a good fit, RIV is on sale currently with some ok deals.

3. They go by use year, depending on what use year you have dictates when you have to bank by. We have feb use year so banking deadline is 9/30. Since you're primary time to visit will be dec, youll want either Oct or Dec as yours. The caveat with banking and borrowing is that if you end up doing so you have a trip every 3rd year, if you wind up cancelling you could be stuck with points that are going to expire. Id just rent your confirmed res at that point. Currently you can bank and borrow 100% of points, but be warned this can change, they limited it during covid for instance.

4. I'd just look at what you want mainly and see how many points that is and go from there.

5. 1br are typically the last to go, with 2 bedroom being right there as well. It depends however on the resort, BWV is all lock off so the 2br are harder to get as when studios go, so does 2br and studios book first and fastest. Any resort with 2brd dedicated generally has good availability at 7 months. To get an idea you can look at a historical booking chart such as this https://www.dvchelp.com/page/animal-kingdom-villas-kidani-village-availability-charts
December is what is considered a part of fall frenzy for DVC, starting in Oct, its the busiest and hardest time of year to book. You can definitely get things at 7months, but you might need to be extra flexible on where you stay.

I genuinely think this is going to end up on the “I wish I had purchased sooner” story lines 5-6 years from now.

I completely disagree that someone needs to book 7m out to stay at Disneyland Hotel most of the year, it’s just having access to points that work there that matter. Perhaps for a 1 bedroom, but this size family can rock studios for a while and there is availability.

This board is so FL/WDW focused…..

There is absolutely no need to own at animal kingdom to stay at animal kingdom…. there is nearly always capacity.

You have to own at one of the Disneyland resorts if you want to stay there during the holidays.

Thanks for the perspective. Are there usually savannah views at animal kingdom 1 and 2 bedroom available around the holidays at 7 months?

Curious that if you think it's worth my looking to buy sooner rather than later, what resort/mode of purchase you think might be best given the circumstances? I honestly don't think I'm going to buy until at least next year but who knows.

OP, as you mull over the answers keep in mind that we all have biases. Someone who’s bought recently likely has a very different perspective than someone who’s been a member for decades. We all have our favorite resorts & those resorts are different for each of us. Someone who just bought a particular resort is usually pretty gung ho about their purchase. For example, I’m not a tower fan - so I have no desire to stay at BLT, Riv, or VDL, yet many love those resorts. What someone else prefers may or may not resonate w/ what your family prefers. Likewise, someone who visits WDW in the spring or summer or fall, or someone who visits a couple of times a year for shorter stays will have a much different experience than someone who goes for a longer vacation during the holidays, I’ve dubbed trying to book my 10+ day WDW DVC Dec. stays the hunger games .
I’m on the west coast & initially purchased AKV resale over a decade ago. It was my ‘test drive’ of DVC to see whether the system worked for me. My thinking was I’d start w/ 1 relatively cheap resale contract at a resort I’d stayed at & liked - AKV & then use those points to try DVC out. By banking/borrowing I could squeeze 3 annual trips in 1 br.s for a week+ before I ran out of points & do some split stays to try out other DVC resorts at WDW. If DVC wasn’t a good fit, I could sell & likely end up losing less $ than if I’d paid cash for the vacations I used the points for. It worked for me & I’ve since added on 3 times. My second home resort being the VGF.
I always chuckle when I read folks talking about how ‘easy’ AKV is to book - Kidani is a big building & all of the rooms in it are DVC villas w/ more than half being savanna view & w/ DVC bigger resorts are always easier to book than smaller resorts. SSR is the largest DVC resort & the easiest to book. BWV is larger than BC & thus easier to book. Also, villas costing fewer points tend to book first, so studios go first, standard views book before more costly preferred views,etc..
Kidani is relatively easy to book, although nothing is easy to book at 7 months for a holiday stay & a longer stay is even harder. Jambo has fewer DVC villas than Kidani. Jambo’s 5th floor is DVC villas & the few club villas are on the 6th floor - the majority of Jambo’s rooms are cash hotel rooms. Kidani’s availability is meaningless to someone who wants to stay at Jambo during the holidays. You might have some success booking a 1 br. at Jambo the minute the 7 month non home resort window opens, however all of Jambo’s 2 br.s are lock offs, thus 2 br.s are tough to get because folks book the studios. Someone planning to book a 2 br. villa for a week+ Dec. stay in Jambo at 7 months will often be disappointed IMO.
Visiting WDW from the west coast costs more because you’ll be paying airfare & because you’ll be flying during the holidays you’ll probably never get those great airfare deals you see at lower demand times of year (at least I never do.) If you rent a car, that adds expense, if you don’t, then having a resort closer to your favorite park may be a higher priority. We don’t rent a car & solve the location issue by staying longer so as to not feel frustrated w/, for ex., a 20 min. bus ride to MK from AKV-Jambo. We also stay at WDW longer because it takes a day to fly cross country & a day to get back & it takes a while to adjust to the time change - that first morning up at 7 a.m. east coast time to take advantage of early entry will feel like 4 a.m. to your west coast self. I solved that problem by adding on so that I could stay longer .

 

[Chili327]

purchased AKV resale over a decade ago

Curious, do you feel Value or Concierge is easier to get? (i realize both are next to impossible, but do you think one is easier than the other... are there more cheapskates or snobs. lol)

 

[MartyParty]

OP, as you mull over the answers keep in mind that we all have biases. Someone who’s bought recently likely has a very different perspective than someone who’s been a member for decades. We all have our favorite resorts & those resorts are different for each of us. Someone who just bought a particular resort is usually pretty gung ho about their purchase. For example, I’m not a tower fan - so I have no desire to stay at BLT, Riv, or VDL, yet many love those resorts. What someone else prefers may or may not resonate w/ what your family prefers. Likewise, someone who visits WDW in the spring or summer or fall, or someone who visits a couple of times a year for shorter stays will have a much different experience than someone who goes for a longer vacation during the holidays, I’ve dubbed trying to book my 10+ day WDW DVC Dec. stays the hunger games .
I’m on the west coast & initially purchased AKV resale over a decade ago. It was my ‘test drive’ of DVC to see whether the system worked for me. My thinking was I’d start w/ 1 relatively cheap resale contract at a resort I’d stayed at & liked - AKV & then use those points to try DVC out. By banking/borrowing I could squeeze 3 annual trips in 1 br.s for a week+ before I ran out of points & do some split stays to try out other DVC resorts at WDW. If DVC wasn’t a good fit, I could sell & likely end up losing less $ than if I’d paid cash for the vacations I used the points for. It worked for me & I’ve since added on 3 times. My second home resort being the VGF.
I always chuckle when I read folks talking about how ‘easy’ AKV is to book - Kidani is a big building & all of the rooms in it are DVC villas w/ more than half being savanna view & w/ DVC bigger resorts are always easier to book than smaller resorts. SSR is the largest DVC resort & the easiest to book. BWV is larger than BC & thus easier to book. Also, villas costing fewer points tend to book first, so studios go first, standard views book before more costly preferred views,etc..
Kidani is relatively easy to book, although nothing is easy to book at 7 months for a holiday stay & a longer stay is even harder. Jambo has fewer DVC villas than Kidani. Jambo’s 5th floor is DVC villas & the few club villas are on the 6th floor - the majority of Jambo’s rooms are cash hotel rooms. Kidani’s availability is meaningless to someone who wants to stay at Jambo during the holidays. You might have some success booking a 1 br. at Jambo the minute the 7 month non home resort window opens, however all of Jambo’s 2 br.s are lock offs, thus 2 br.s are tough to get because folks book the studios. Someone planning to book a 2 br. villa for a week+ Dec. stay in Jambo at 7 months will often be disappointed IMO.
Visiting WDW from the west coast costs more because you’ll be paying airfare & because you’ll be flying during the holidays you’ll probably never get those great airfare deals you see at lower demand times of year (at least I never do.) If you rent a car, that adds expense, if you don’t, then having a resort closer to your favorite park may be a higher priority. We don’t rent a car & solve the location issue by staying longer so as to not feel frustrated w/, for ex., a 20 min. bus ride to MK from AKV-Jambo. We also stay at WDW longer because it takes a day to fly cross country & a day to get back & it takes a while to adjust to the time change - that first morning up at 7 a.m. east coast time to take advantage of early entry will feel like 4 a.m. to your west coast self. I solved that problem by adding on so that I could stay longer .

Replying to say this is one of the better AKL DVC reviews I’ve read especially traveling from the west. Thanks for sharing.

 

[sndral]

Curious, do you feel Value or Concierge is easier to get? (i realize both are next to impossible, but do you think one is easier than the other... are there more cheapskates or snobs. lol)

I’ve never gotten either, I tried to walk into both the first couple of years, but wasn’t dedicated enough to find a slot to even start my walk.
My sense is that Concierge is tougher to get - but I suspect that has more to do w/ supply - there are only five 2 br. lock off Concierge villas & those 5 lock off villas are the only club offerings in all of DVC. There are twice as many 2 br. lock off Value villas (10 total) + 8 Value non-lock off studios.