Help, is DVC for our family?

[Dean]

Definitely spend a few months investigating so you can make the best decision possible. SSR resale will be the cheapest long term, BLT will be second for WDW options. I'm not sure where you're accustomed to staying (might have missed it reading through), or how much resort experience you have with Disney. IMO, it's better to buy lower up front so unless you have enough info to know SSR or similar is not somewhere you want to stay, I'd definitely give the cheaper option a consideration. Also, I think you need 1 BR points.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It looks like BC is the only deluxe they have stayed in, and as a family of 4 not in a villa.

I would not buy a resort without staying there.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

the interest rate it 12%
I have so much more to research! I think maybe I will tell him we should wait until our yearly vacation to make this decision and try and stay at Polynesian first. Was always my "dream" stay but I cant say bc I have only been there for breakfasts and dinners.
Maybe we can save up this year too as i research.
Thanks! I really wish Disney sent an actual booklet with all the info so I can reference everything.

 

[Lynne M]

the interest rate it 12%

Holy cow. No way would I buy under those conditions. If I absolutely HAD to stay at Poly on every trip, and therefore would only buy there, I'd either wait till I saved up the money to pay cash, or would wait till there were enough Poly contracts up for resale that the price had come down a bit.

Really do the math on this. If you're planning to finance the full purchase price and the full 10-year period, I can't see how your total cost is going to be much better than booking villas through CRO and watching for discounts. You'd literally be paying the highest possible price to buy into DVC. Many thousands more than buyers who don't finance, and many thousands more than those who buy resale at other resorts.

 

[disneynutz]

It's really easy to let your emotions cause you to run when you should walk. You will be spending much money when you buy and as you use your DVC purchase. Please take the time to get the best bang for your buck, remember knowledge is power.

 

[Dean]

It looks like BC is the only deluxe they have stayed in, and as a family of 4 not in a villa.

I would not buy a resort without staying there.

I think it's feasible to make a good decision without staying at a given resort BUT. IMO there are 3 types of experiences that can aid one in making a good choice. These include direct DVC experience, other Disney experience and general timeshare experience. Either way one needs sufficient experience to make a reasonable choice and having a fair amount in at least 2 of these 3 areas is required to make a truly informed decision. Other than second generation type DVC families, those who are back and forth over years and those who are long term renters, it's extremely to get sufficient direct DVC experiences to make a good choice the firs time around. Of course some will just get lucky. IMO some of the biggest mistakes people make are buying too quickly, financing, buying retail when it doesn't provide value and making emotional decisions.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

IMO some of the biggest mistakes people make are buying too quickly, financing, buying retail when it doesn't provide value and making emotional decisions.

I think buying retail at a resort you've never stayed at falls into several of your categories.

 

[Dean]

I think buying retail at a resort you've never stayed at falls into several of your categories.

I think it's possible to make a good choice without staying the home resort but it takes a ton of other information. In some ways, staying at a resort without enough other info can actually be a deterrent because one equates the enjoyment of the stay with the resort and often causing one to overbuy even if DVC in general makes sense.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

so if we usually go the last week of August, what is the best "use year" for us?

What resale brokers did you all go through? (or did you go through Disney and not finance?)

Can I buy into BC direct from Disney (thought someone told me there is a waitlist?)

If buying from Disney, but not financing, do you think the perks of buying through them outweigh the savings that you get when buying resale?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

so if we usually go the last week of August, what is the best "use year" for us?

What resale brokers did you all go through? (or did you go through Disney and not finance?)

Can I buy into BC direct from Disney (thought someone told me there is a waitlist?)

If buying from Disney, but not financing, do you think the perks of buying through them outweigh the savings that you get when buying resale?

Upfront, I think your idea yesterday of waiting until your next trip was a good idea. I was going to suggest that in addition to staying at a DVC resort that you take the time to go around and see a few of them.

But to answer your questions: Buying the best UY can give you a bit of free insurance against last minute cancellation. One that starts just shortly before your intended trips is best for that "insurance" as it will give you almost an entire year to use any points that might otherwise be lost. If you go the last week of August then yes, an Aug UY will be good. June would also good and allow you to switch to earlier in the summer as school schedules/sports might make late August more difficult.

DVC no longer puts people on a waitlist for the sold out resorts. But honestly, don't spend almost double to buy BCV from DVC. If you ever decided any of the perks were beneficial for you you could do a small add on. The only one really worth something IMO is the ability to buy the Gold AP, but since you go once a year for a week that isn't likely a perk that makes sense for you. Other perks you wouldn't have access to is some of the special events, but if you don't happen to be going at the time of one of them it also doesn't matter. And they are also very new and hard to say how long they might even offer those. Nothing worth spending thousands of dollars more for a chance possibility.

The savings with DVC are in using your points to stay in a DVC room.

 

[Dean]

so if we usually go the last week of August, what is the best "use year" for us?

What resale brokers did you all go through? (or did you go through Disney and not finance?)

Can I buy into BC direct from Disney (thought someone told me there is a waitlist?)

If buying from Disney, but not financing, do you think the perks of buying through them outweigh the savings that you get when buying resale?

When there is a decent difference in price between resale and resale and sufficient dollars, it never makes sense to buy retail for the entire purchase but it might make sense to buy 25 retail to have options. In effect that makes anything over 50 points, and with a reasonable spread retail to resale, unreasonable to buy retail if it's available resale. IMO it never makes sense to finance. August would be the clear winner for UY enough to wait on such a UY IMO.