First Time/DVC-Curious

[BuzzLightyr]

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.
View attachment 874149

Hahhaha. I should have said the Bay Area.

 

[Jwaire]

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…..

I didn't say it's a second rate location. I said it was second tier to Grand Cal. I like the Disneyland Hotel, but there's no way I'd own there to use points at WDW especially if I didn't know if DVC was right for me.

Also, there is a concern with longterm rental interest because of the way the TOT is handled. Since it's not built into the dues, your renter is sacked with paying the TOT on checkout.

So basically it ends up, for a renter, being more than staying at Grand Cal. You'd be better off trying to rent Grand Cal points.

Also, while you still pay the TOT at surrounding hotels—you aren't paying the ridiculous markup of a Disney hotel, so it's quite a bit less.

I suggested SSR and CCV as a first time resale purchase because of dues and length of contract, as they are currently two of the best value and easy-to-get resale contracts out there.

But continue on.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I didn't say it's a second rate location. I said it was second tier to Grand Cal. I like the Disneyland Hotel, but there's no way I'd own there to use points at WDW especially if I didn't know if DVC was right for me.

Also, there is a concern with longterm rental interest because of the way the TOT is handled. Since it's not built into the dues, your renter is sacked with paying the TOT on checkout.

So basically it ends up, for a renter, being more than staying at Grand Cal. You'd be better off trying to rent Grand Cal points.

Also, while you still pay the TOT at surrounding hotels—you aren't paying the ridiculous markup of a Disney hotel, so it's quite a bit less.

I suggested SSR and CCV as a first time resale purchase because of dues and length of contract, as they are currently two of the best value and easy-to-get resale contracts out there.

But continue on.

You said it was “second tier”…. as part of an absolute takedown of the resort. For a resort that is less than a 15m walk to two theme parks….

I stayed at VDH twice this year inside of the 7m booking window… A 1bd in Jan and a studio in Feb. Paying an Anaheim tax just like I would for any hotel room was not a big deal. The tax does not apply if someone uses their VDH points to stay at WDW.

I stayed at Grand Cal in March and will be staying there again in October and November. I prefer Grand Cal and own there, but given how expensive it is I would only recommend purchasing there to use at Grand Cal.

IMO, I think it would be nonsensical to buy resale SSR or CCV or any WDW resale points and get practicality locked out of Disneyland for someone who lives 2 hours away and has a young a growing family.

 

[Jwaire]

You said it was “second tier”…. as part of an absolute takedown of the resort. For a resort that is less than a 15m walk to two theme parks….

It is second tier. How is this even debatable? You have plenty of really nice non-DVC options around DLR that have equal proximity.

Then there's Pixar Place (if you can score a discount), which just got a glow up.

I would only own at VDH if I had an attachment to Disneyland Hotel.

IMO, I think it would be nonsensical to buy resale SSR or CCV or any WDW resale points and get practicality locked out of Disneyland for someone who lives 2 hours away and has a young a growing family.

We can have differing opinions. I would look at the other way. I'm new to DVC. I'm not sure it makes sense for me. We go to WDW every two or three years. That's primarily why I'm buying DVC. If this doesn't work out, what's my exit strategy?

Do I chance that we might want to take a few long weekends at VDH each year instead of using our points at WDW? Do I try to rent these points out?

VDH does not have a good exit strategy. You are looking at losing close to ~$100 per point if you had to sell on top of paying a premium for the resort (at $239 per point before incentives) and you have a 100 point minimum, if you're a new member.

Either way, both points have been made.

 

[bakerworld]

We joined DVC when we found ourselves visiting 3 or more times every year. If it wasn't for that, we would've kept to enjoying the various hotels. The Dolphin can be very reasonable and is in a great location in relation to the parks. We joined after our kids were grown and never had a problem sharing a bathroom, a bathroom sink, or toilet facilities. I also never have the urge to cook or do laundry on vacation. TMI? LOL

 

[atthebeachclub]

I am so confused how Disneyland Hotel could be a second tier location. I stayed there on my first ever Disneyland trip at eight years old, and remember just how magical it was decades later. The entire experience was incredible. Maybe things have changed since then, but getting to and from the park was seamless and kept you engaged in the magic. I never went to Disneyworld until adulthood (in fact I even made it to Tokyo Disneyland a few times before Disneyworld). WDW resorts are also magical, but I think nothing beats the original Disneyland hotel.

I joined DVC because my trip to WDW in January was wonderful and I wanted to come back to that more frequently, but my kids won’t share a bed (one is a very light sleeper), so we were already restricted to specific five sleeper locations and sometimes that isn’t even guaranteed. I liked the idea of knowing we would get at least three sleeping surfaces every time. Also, I desperately wanted a toaster in my room. Deluxe studios were all I aspired to. But after we passed ROFR, my mother said she wanted to go on these trips too, so suddenly we needed 2 bedrooms some years. So I bid on a second contract before the first was closed! I have booked our winter trip already and can’t wait to bring nearly our entire multigenerational family this time.

 

[Sean81995]

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 .

This is very insightful (and thank you all for your detailed posts).

When I look at how much it would cost to book a 1-bed at AK around the time I'd go, and I look at the costs of some AK resale contracts, the contract would be paid off in 4 visits and then it would be a matter of renting points at a profit or breakeven or using the points for vacations. For the current AK direct incentives, it seems the contract would be paid off in the 6-7 visits. I went to WDW 7 times as a kid (and 2 times as an adult) as someone from the Northeast. I went to Disneyland (just day trips) just about every year from 2011 through to the pandemic. So I would think I would be doing a bunch of Disney travel in some capacity. But if the kid one day decides he hates Disney, then we would need to adjust.

Still tricky to figure out if it's worth it given the various restrictions in each scenario though: AK direct with current incentives seems like the best of both worlds since AK might be the best hotel I've ever been to and it offers stuff outside theme parks (animals and great food!) and I can stay at upcoming Disneyland properties. AK resale seems the most economical but we couldn't stay at any Disneyland property except Grand Cal if it happens to be available. In terms of buying directly from Disneyland Hotel, I dunno. I've never stayed there but really dig the vibe. Has a cool warm and fuzzy feeling to it all and it seems very colorful/kid friendly. I like that it's a bit isolated from the rest of Disneyland but not too far of a walk. At the same time, I understand when people call it a glorified Marriott too. Other than Trader Sam's, it doesn't really offer much that's unusual/distinctive/etc., but the history and vibes are great.I also worry more that the vibes of that place might be diluted for us if we stay there a ton, whereas I don't have that concern with AK. Grand Californian seems better for adults and is awesome in its own way but buying a resale contract there feels very expensive. Not sure about that.

 

[MartyParty]

This is very insightful (and thank you all for your detailed posts).

When I look at how much it would cost to book a 1-bed at AK around the time I'd go, and I look at the costs of some AK resale contracts, the contract would be paid off in 4 visits and then it would be a matter of renting points at a profit or breakeven or using the points for vacations. For the current AK direct incentives, it seems the contract would be paid off in the 6-7 visits. I went to WDW 7 times as a kid (and 2 times as an adult) as someone from the Northeast. I went to Disneyland (just day trips) just about every year from 2011 through to the pandemic. So I would think I would be doing a bunch of Disney travel in some capacity. But if the kid one day decides he hates Disney, then we would need to adjust.

Still tricky to figure out if it's worth it given the various restrictions in each scenario though: AK direct with current incentives seems like the best of both worlds since AK might be the best hotel I've ever been to and it offers stuff outside theme parks (animals and great food!) and I can stay at upcoming Disneyland properties. AK resale seems the most economical but we couldn't stay at any Disneyland property except Grand Cal if it happens to be available. In terms of buying directly from Disneyland Hotel, I dunno. I've never stayed there but really dig the vibe. Has a cool warm and fuzzy feeling to it all and it seems very colorful/kid friendly. I like that it's a bit isolated from the rest of Disneyland but not too far of a walk. At the same time, I understand when people call it a glorified Marriott too. Other than Trader Sam's, it doesn't really offer much that's unusual/distinctive/etc., but the history and vibes are great.I also worry more that the vibes of that place might be diluted for us if we stay there a ton, whereas I don't have that concern with AK. Grand Californian seems better for adults and is awesome in its own way but buying a resale contract there feels very expensive. Not sure about that.

You’ve summed it up well for your situation and desires. Sounds like the advise and discussions have been helpful. Good luck! And if you don’t mind let us know how you proceed. No rush of course and nothing wrong with not buying into DVC, but sounds like it may be a cost saver approach given what you are describing.

 

[AstroBlasters]

This is very insightful (and thank you all for your detailed posts).

When I look at how much it would cost to book a 1-bed at AK around the time I'd go, and I look at the costs of some AK resale contracts, the contract would be paid off in 4 visits and then it would be a matter of renting points at a profit or breakeven or using the points for vacations. For the current AK direct incentives, it seems the contract would be paid off in the 6-7 visits. I went to WDW 7 times as a kid (and 2 times as an adult) as someone from the Northeast. I went to Disneyland (just day trips) just about every year from 2011 through to the pandemic. So I would think I would be doing a bunch of Disney travel in some capacity. But if the kid one day decides he hates Disney, then we would need to adjust.

Still tricky to figure out if it's worth it given the various restrictions in each scenario though: AK direct with current incentives seems like the best of both worlds since AK might be the best hotel I've ever been to and it offers stuff outside theme parks (animals and great food!) and I can stay at upcoming Disneyland properties. AK resale seems the most economical but we couldn't stay at any Disneyland property except Grand Cal if it happens to be available. In terms of buying directly from Disneyland Hotel, I dunno. I've never stayed there but really dig the vibe. Has a cool warm and fuzzy feeling to it all and it seems very colorful/kid friendly. I like that it's a bit isolated from the rest of Disneyland but not too far of a walk. At the same time, I understand when people call it a glorified Marriott too. Other than Trader Sam's, it doesn't really offer much that's unusual/distinctive/etc., but the history and vibes are great.I also worry more that the vibes of that place might be diluted for us if we stay there a ton, whereas I don't have that concern with AK. Grand Californian seems better for adults and is awesome in its own way but buying a resale contract there feels very expensive. Not sure about that.

It sounds like you have a good handle on things.

Perhaps a mix of resale AKV points along with 150 points AKV direct (to get DVC-Y). That way you can get the larger villas (of which I am a big proponent) and have access to VDH should days pop up within a 7m that you want to turn into a staycation.

I think you may find that cheap flights to Hawaii make Aulani pretty attractive when staying on points as well.

 

[MartyParty]

It sounds like you have a good handle on things.

Perhaps a mix of resale AKV points along with 150 points AKV direct (to get DVC-Y). That way you can get the larger villas (oh which I am a big proponent) and are not locked out of VDH should days pop up within 7m that you want to turn into a staycation.

I think you may find that cheap flights to Hawaii make Aulani pretty attractive when staying on points as well.

I was thinking something similar. Perhaps get a low point AKL resale which would then qualify for any current owner DVC direct purchase of AKL. I had a quick look for what the AKL promo was but didn't find it. Wasn't sure if there is additional off for being a current owner or not.

 

[MartyParty]

Signing off. Beryl is knocking at our door. Gotta charge up our electronics, secure outside stuff, and fill up some containers of water. Fingers crossed it's a whole lot of nothing.

 

[Chili327]

Signing off. Beryl is knocking at our door. Gotta charge up our electronics, secure outside stuff, and fill up some containers of water. Fingers crossed it's a whole lot of nothing.

Stay safe!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Signing off. Beryl is knocking at our door. Gotta charge up our electronics, secure outside stuff, and fill up some containers of water. Fingers crossed it's a whole lot of nothing.

Best of luck!

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

Stay safe!

Yes to this!!

 

[lilsonicfan]

This is very insightful (and thank you all for your detailed posts).

When I look at how much it would cost to book a 1-bed at AK around the time I'd go, and I look at the costs of some AK resale contracts, the contract would be paid off in 4 visits and then it would be a matter of renting points at a profit or breakeven or using the points for vacations. For the current AK direct incentives, it seems the contract would be paid off in the 6-7 visits. I went to WDW 7 times as a kid (and 2 times as an adult) as someone from the Northeast. I went to Disneyland (just day trips) just about every year from 2011 through to the pandemic. So I would think I would be doing a bunch of Disney travel in some capacity. But if the kid one day decides he hates Disney, then we would need to adjust.

Still tricky to figure out if it's worth it given the various restrictions in each scenario though: AK direct with current incentives seems like the best of both worlds since AK might be the best hotel I've ever been to and it offers stuff outside theme parks (animals and great food!) and I can stay at upcoming Disneyland properties. AK resale seems the most economical but we couldn't stay at any Disneyland property except Grand Cal if it happens to be available. In terms of buying directly from Disneyland Hotel, I dunno. I've never stayed there but really dig the vibe. Has a cool warm and fuzzy feeling to it all and it seems very colorful/kid friendly. I like that it's a bit isolated from the rest of Disneyland but not too far of a walk. At the same time, I understand when people call it a glorified Marriott too. Other than Trader Sam's, it doesn't really offer much that's unusual/distinctive/etc., but the history and vibes are great.I also worry more that the vibes of that place might be diluted for us if we stay there a ton, whereas I don't have that concern with AK. Grand Californian seems better for adults and is awesome in its own way but buying a resale contract there feels very expensive. Not sure about that.

AKL seems like a great choice if you're going to buy direct such that you can also use it to stay at Disneyland. My other suggestion would be Aulani direct as it's hard (for me) to say no to a Hawaii vacation when it's a direct flight from the west coast vs going to Florida which for us always requires changing planes. The flip side is that reselling either of these contracts won't necessarily be super fast or easy. But, I bought DVC to stay in it, not to resell (famous last words...?)

 

[Sean81995]

It sounds like you have a good handle on things.

Perhaps a mix of resale AKV points along with 150 points AKV direct (to get DVC-Y). That way you can get the larger villas (of which I am a big proponent) and have access to VDH should days pop up within a 7m that you want to turn into a staycation.

I think you may find that cheap flights to Hawaii make Aulani pretty attractive when staying on points as well.

this is an interesting idea. thank you

 

[Sean81995]

Signing off. Beryl is knocking at our door. Gotta charge up our electronics, secure outside stuff, and fill up some containers of water. Fingers crossed it's a whole lot of nothing.

be safe!

 

[MartyParty]

Best of luck!

Well, we are past Beryl safe and sound. Waiting on power and cell service to be restored.

Thanks for everyone's well wishes! At a friend's location today for internet service. Nice to have DIS Boards as a pleasant distraction.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Would staying at on offsite hotel ruin your Disney vacations?

We bought DVC after answering yes to this question. Never again am I going to stay off-property and sleep on two chairs pushed together!!

 

[kboo]

He does specifically say though "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" in which case I would say you do NOT need to buy VDH for that and can save yourself a lot more money on the resale market if you buy a CCV or AKV. OP, if you decide that DVC ownership is for you, you need to weigh how important staying on property at Disneyland is to you. If you care about staying at Disneyland regularly then buy VDH. If you're primarily interested in staying at WDW and can do without Disneyland then the resale world is your oyster and you will take less of a financial hit if you sell

@intamin - I really liked your point that the main reason was for bigger trips to WDW over the winter holidays. If OP is mainly focused on WDW then it makes a lot of sense to start with resale at WDW at a home resort that you think you would enjoy over the holidays with your extended and/or growing family. With the exception of Riviera resale (which I'd never advise as a "first" DVC purchase), any WDW points are usable at VGC and you could still try it out if you happen to see availability. It is possible - I have booked 1br/2br at VGC in April and December with WDW points. I just wouldn't expect to be able to get rooms, and treat it as very lucky if you could. (and you could rent points if you really really wanted). Either of the DL DVCs are a big outlay of $$$ for a first-timer who plans to use the points mostly at WDW.

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 love this - I also bought an initial home resort resale to try out at a great price, and have since expanded. (see signature)

My answers in red in here:

1. Does my situation sound like a match for DVC?
Maybe, once every three years makes sense... any less than that absolutely not...

1. I would plan to go at least every 2 years and buying 50%ish of the points needed. I'm really nervous about losing a whole year's worth of banked points if something had to cancel.

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....

2. ALL of what @Cfabar1 said!! We bought a lot of VGF points because we love the resort at Christmas (and other times) - others have listed the resorts that are extra-popular over Christmas. My personal favorites because of decorations etc. are : VGF, AKV, CCV. When we go over the winter holidays, we plan dinners at many different resorts to see their decorations and there are often things like carolers and Santa and the like. VGF has the biggest and most elaborate gingerbread house. We haven't been there over Xmas in a few years and I'm suffering from withdrawal.... They also have a chocolate egg display around Easter. In short, the lobby always smells and often sounds amazing.

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.

4. I'd add that there are resale sites have have points calculators that will give you a sense of the # of points it costs for a stay at different times of year, and they are easier to use than the point charts that DVC publishes. Christmas points for large units makes my eyes bleed.

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...

VGF is super hard even at 11 months for Christmas and December (it's fine at 11 months other times of the year) - at almost all room sizes. There are a lot of resort studios now so they're a little easier to get and for a family reunion you'd then get multiple studios... I don't know so much about booking the other resorts at Christmas because if we are going we book at 11 months on the dot at our home resorts. (Have stayed and booked each of our home resorts then, and it's challenging but doable.) 2021 was the hardest because of the pent up demand.

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)

^^ All of this...

Our story: we bought our first contract in 2017 with a 5 yr old and a 1 yr old, and BLT was the only resort that was walking distance to MK. It was absolutely the right choice for us! Now that our kids are older, they are out of strollers and that makes the traveling to parks a little easier. When the baby was in a crib, it was easy to do studios and there's usually a slightly away place for a crib. Then the kids got bigger and it was more luxurious to get a 1br with a kitchen, get a grocery delivery of fruit and breakfast items, and not sit in the dark for hours after the kids went to bed.

Now that the kids are bigger and they've experienced the Murphy beds in the living rooms at Riviera and VGF, I feel a little bad sticking them on a pull out in a 1br (BWV and BCV before refurbs and maybe still?, and also why we still haven't stayed at BRV/CCV). We like the savanna rooms at AKV and have stayed in both buildings - but when we had little ones in the stroller, we avoided using buses as park transportation, so we haven't re-visited AKV until recently.

I really like our mix as our family has grown and our preferences for different sizes and styles has changed - BLT (resale mostly) in a 1br (studios are too small) was great for getting to and from MK with a stroller, and even if we were in our room because the kids had to go to bed early, we could see fireworks. Our next purchase was VGF (resale + direct) - despite wanting BCV/BWV to get something walkable to EP/HS, I was scared away from the 2042 end dates. Then RIV (direct) because we did want EP/HS availability.

With one young child and possibly another one in the future, you'll have stroller considerations for a bit - it's kind of a hassle to fold a stroller and carry it on a bus, so then MK-area resorts might be more appealing. Also, while AKV does tend to have availability at 7 mo, if you're buying to use in December and especially Christmas, you should plan to buy a home resort that you like for the holidays. For me, with little kids, I wouldn't want to have to bus any time I wanted to go anywhere. CCV/BRV have less-than-ideal bedding situations in larger units (some sofabeds, 1br only sleep 4, etc) that you should be aware of, all BWV 2br are lock offs so it can be hard to get them, BCV's feature pool, Stormalong Bay, is hard with littler kids but becomes a lot of fun once the kids are older and strong swimmers. We have yet to stay at OKW/SSR because my kids want to be in the parks ALL the time.

TL; DR: if you're really planning to use for family over Christmas at WDW, a WDW resale contract at about half the # of points for a typical stay might be good for you to start with.

For Disneyland: You can book VGC if you see a random night pop up, or you can rent points, but there's off-campus options at DL that are pretty convenient too. We've had very good luck booking (and more than once) AUL, VGC, BCV and BWV and AKV at 7 months, and we liked them all. I love DL and VGC but - I've held off buying VDH because of the transient tax, and so far have managed to book VGC* with my much cheaper WDW points, so I've deferred that issue for at least another 1-2 years.... (*going to be there over Christmas in a 2 br that I booked at 8am, 7mo, on the dot)