Help make my 40th B-day DVC dream come true

[disdadathome]

Today is my 40th Birthday! My wife and I have been talking about buying DVC since previewing the AKV rooms at SSR in March. As a way of getting our feet wet, she called and made an offer on a small Vero Beach contract yesterday, however someone had beat her to it. In hindsight, perhaps that was a good thing.

We have struggled with trying to determine the answers to the questions that all of you respond to on a regular basis. Which resort. New or resale. Take the incentive or the discount. So on, so on, etc. etc.

I think we are buying for the right reasons, and we feel confident that DVC is right for us. However, on a daily basis we change our mind about where, when, how, and how many points. If any are willing, would you offer your advice and answers to the following questions, based on a summary of the following info.

-We have 2 kids under 10.
-We go to Disney at least once a year.
-Kids are homeschooled so we don't have to follow school schedules.
-Prefer to go between November and March.
-Loved staying at BWV and BCV as renters due to location to parks
-Loved VWL for quiet.
-Overall favorite resort was AKL--really special memories
-In the past we have rented a friend's Vero Beach points with no problems
-We have always done a studio with no problems, but kids are getting to age where everyone needs space.

All of that being said, what are your thoughts on the following questions.

Is location really that important to us, since we have enjoyed all of the lodging we have tried and we have some flexibility in our travel dates?

Would you buy new from Disney or a resale?

Is use year really that important in our case?

What is an appropriate level of points?

If we buy a small contract through resale and then an additional contract later, how hard is it to coordinate them toward one vacation?

Is there any merit to our current plan of buying a resale for a small number of points to become owners and then buying from Disney when the next great incentive comes out?

HELP!!!! The questions just keep coming and coming. Make them stop...

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

 

[castleri]

First - Happy Birthday and may you have many more -

You need to decide what level of expenditure you wish to make and then look at what you can get for that amount. VB and HH are cheaper buy ins but have higher maintenance fees which can make if more expensive over the life of the contract. I think I would go with one of the onsite resorts whichever way you go since you plan on WDW vacations and that way you will be able to book at 11 months and be sure of getting a room. Since you are not fussy about which resort you stay at you will also have the 7 month window to work with (which you also get with VB and HH
contracts). Your idea to buy in small and then add on is also a good one.

With the new banking rules UY may be more important that it was previously and I am sure someone will be better able to explain that.

The number of points will depend on when you plan to travel, how big a unit you want to use and how many days you plan to stay so there is no answer that will fit everyone. At the time we bought our first contract we bought 220 points as there was a greater number needed to trade out to some other places and we thought we might do that. So far have only done it once for daughter to go to Vail for a week. Many people do well with small contracts by bankin and borrowing and only going every 2 or 3 years. You really need to go to the point charts and plan a possible trip or two to get a good idea of how many you may need. Again banking and borrowing can play a large factor in that also.

If you buy a small contract and then do an add on through Disney it will have the same UY as your original contract. If you buy a totally different contract either resale or through Disney it could have a different UY. I have 2 with August UYs and one with an April UY. So far have had no problems working out the points to meet the requirements of our trips. You just need to be a little creative sometimes.

Hope you can make your DVC dream come true - Have a great day.

 

[Orelover]

Today is my 40th Birthday! My wife and I have been talking about buying DVC since previewing the AKV rooms at SSR in March. As a way of getting our feet wet, she called and made an offer on a small Vero Beach contract yesterday, however someone had beat her to it. In hindsight, perhaps that was a good thing.

We have struggled with trying to determine the answers to the questions that all of you respond to on a regular basis. Which resort. New or resale. Take the incentive or the discount. So on, so on, etc. etc.

I think we are buying for the right reasons, and we feel confident that DVC is right for us. However, on a daily basis we change our mind about where, when, how, and how many points. If any are willing, would you offer your advice and answers to the following questions, based on a summary of the following info.

-We have 2 kids under 10.
-We go to Disney at least once a year.
-Kids are homeschooled so we don't have to follow school schedules.
-Prefer to go between November and March.
-Loved staying at BWV and BCV as renters due to location to parks
-Loved VWL for quiet.
-Overall favorite resort was AKL--really special memories
-In the past we have rented a friend's Vero Beach points with no problems
-We have always done a studio with no problems, but kids are getting to age where everyone needs space.

All of that being said, what are your thoughts on the following questions.

Is location really that important to us, since we have enjoyed all of the lodging we have tried and we have some flexibility in our travel dates?

Would you buy new from Disney or a resale?

Is use year really that important in our case?

What is an appropriate level of points?

If we buy a small contract through resale and then an additional contract later, how hard is it to coordinate them toward one vacation?

Is there any merit to our current plan of buying a resale for a small number of points to become owners and then buying from Disney when the next great incentive comes out?

HELP!!!! The questions just keep coming and coming. Make them stop...

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

First off Welcome to the world of DVC. Since your kids are still young, My humble opion would be buy new. You have the option then of willing or giving your membership to the kids and full 50 year contract. since you have special memories at AKV I would by there. Resorts are a personal preferance and as you said there all beautiful. The biggest thing to remember is Home Resort booking. You have the option at your home resort to book 11 months in advance of your check out date and 7 months at all other DVC Resorts. Since you prefer going Nov thru March which are very busy times of year you may have a rough time getting the room type and dates with a 7 month window. So a small purchase say at Vero will get you an 11 month booking window there, but only allow you 7 months at AKV. As for the number of points to purchase, base that on how long you stay. If for example you go for a standard week 7nights/8days and want a 1bedrm each trip, then purchase that amount of points. Example: a 1 bed Savannah View in Nov. will use 216 points. Now other views and studios are less points, so if you can get one of the other views you'll save points and be able to bank them for use later and they add up! We have 340 points in BWV which allows us 2 trips a year, on 7 to 10 day stays. I have been able to bank enough points on some years to combine with new use year points and pull off renting 2 - 1 bed units for 7 days, a 2 bed unit for 10 and so on. Use Year to me is not that big of a deal to me. As we plan way ahead and use that 11 month booking window, you just have to keep track of when you can bank unused points and do it.
Well I hope this helps a little
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

 

[Mtnman44]

Lots of "it depends" in order to figure out a good suggestion for you. the main ones are:

-What size unit do you want. Once you stay in a 1BR or 2BR, you'll never go back! If you can, I would suggest buying for the future. You can always add more points in a few years, but most likely not at this price. So if you can, buy enough points for a 2BR.

-When do you travel? Nov thru March include some of the least expensive point ranges as well as the costliest. Look at the point charts to determine when you think you will travel most.

-Finally, how long do you want the annual trip to be: 1 week, 10 days, 5 days, etc.

Your answers to these questions will help you get a good idea on the number of ponits you'll want to have on tap.

In general, from what you have said, I'd say a contract with an Oct use year at AKV sounds like a good fit for you. Favorite resort, plenty of years, current promo, etc. About 200 points would be a good amount for a 1 BR most of the year. About 300 would be what you want for a 2BR unit each year. You should always try to split up points into smaller chunks. i.e: Instead of one 300 point contract, get 160 and 70 and 70. If you buy direct from DVC, there is no additional cost to do this but lots of benefits. Mostly this would allow you to sell some, but not all of your points if you ever needed or wanted to. Also, smaller contracts sell much easier and faster (and at a higher $ per point value) since buyers only wanting small contracts can't get them directly from DVC.

 

[disdadathome]

Thanks for your input so far.

As to size of room. We have only stayed at studios thus far, but kids keep growing and taking up more space, so we are leaning toward having enough points for a one bedroom.

I realize that Nov. to March includes slow and busy seasons. While we have gone over the Christmas to New Years week and had a great time, I don't think that would be when we would go normally due to other family functions during the holidays. So, generally we would travel in the Adventure and Choice seasons.

I know that I have been told that the minimum buy in through Disney is 160. Does that have to be on one contract. Could I buy two 100 point contracts? Or would it have to be a 160 point contract and a 40 point contract?

Do I understand it correctly that if I were to buy a resale of 100 points at say AKL, then I could buy 100 points new from Disney, get any incentives (if there are any at that time) and Disney would give me the same UY on the new contract? Or would Disney have to have something available with the same UY.

I am sure that I will have more questions, but so far your responses have helped clarify things for me. It is tough turning 40. Brain doesn't process things the right way.

 

[mikesmom]

Are the 2 children the same sex? DS and his buddy used the pull out couch in the one bedroom quite happily up to age 18. If your children are of different sexes you may want to go to the 2 bedroom a lot earlier. And as another poster said, once you do that, you'll never go back!

October through 1st week of January can be difficult reserving at BWV or BCV. If you are going to want to stay at one of those during that time frame, you'll want to buy at those resorts.

VWL is IMPOSSIBLE to get once the Christmas decorations go up (November/December). If you want that time frame, you'd best buy there.

Combining points from 2 purchases is not at all difficult if they are the same resort. If they are different resorts you either have to combine at the 7 month mark, or bank and borrow to go to each every other year. Your 11 month advantage is good at each resort only.

 

[Mike©]

Thanks for your input so far.

As to size of room. We have only stayed at studios thus far, but kids keep growing and taking up more space, so we are leaning toward having enough points for a one bedroom.

I realize that Nov. to March includes slow and busy seasons. While we have gone over the Christmas to New Years week and had a great time, I don't think that would be when we would go normally due to other family functions during the holidays. So, generally we would travel in the Adventure and Choice seasons.

I know that I have been told that the minimum buy in through Disney is 160. Does that have to be on one contract. Could I buy two 100 point contracts? Or would it have to be a 160 point contract and a 40 point contract?

Do I understand it correctly that if I were to buy a resale of 100 points at say AKL, then I could buy 100 points new from Disney, get any incentives (if there are any at that time) and Disney would give me the same UY on the new contract? Or would Disney have to have something available with the same UY.

I am sure that I will have more questions, but so far your responses have helped clarify things for me. It is tough turning 40. Brain doesn't process things the right way.

From the sound of your situation ( and I'm assuming your goal ), you want to get "Home Resort" status at multiple DVC resorts. If this is true then it sounds like resale to start would be the wise move.
Once you are DVC, then you can add on as needed, where you want the 11 month Home resort booking window.

P.S. If 40 is bothering you, Wait For 50!

 

[disdadathome]

My wife and I just made an offer on a 25 point resale contract at the BWV! Thanks for your help. 25 points won't cover a week in a 1 bedroom, but it will get us a couple of nights in a studio and get us in the system. We settle in early February. In mid February, my son is performing in the Magic Kingdom with his theater troop. Maybe we can add on while we are there and get the point levels up to what we will ultimately need.

Assuming this sale goes according to plan, can we approach Disney about additional BWV points? Would additional points from Disney automatically have the same use year as the existing contract?

Pretty cool birthday. And I thought turning 40 was going to stink...

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I believe the answer to both your questions are yes...in fact I think same use year is mandatory when buying through Disney.

Beyond that with a 25 point contract you can look around on the Rent/Trade board and see if you can rent big blocks of point by transfer...that's one way to to buy a little time while trying to figure out what you want to do.

About Adventure and Choice...sometimes these are misleading when it comes to availability for DVC members. Many people stretch their points by targeting these specific time frames. The best example is early December. In addition an FYI on VWL and decorations. The decorations don't come down immediately (and niether does the music go away which was pretty irritating)...You can grab Adventure points for New Year's Day onward and still get most of the Christmas cheer at both Disney World and Universal if you go early in January. I used to travel with friends Superbowl week and the decor was still up in WDW. At the same time September and late January are just as dead as their Adventure label indicates.

 

[veenstra56]

One thing I would caution you on: don't overthink. I know that when we decided to make a purchase we would change our minds almost daily. It sounds like you really like AKV- so why don't you just buy there? It's not like you'll never be able to stay at any of the other resorts.

The only problem with purchasing an interest in AKV, of couse, is that you'll have to buy directly from Disney, at least for a while.

In my opinion, the worst DVC resort is wonderful. If your heart is pulling you in one direction, follow it.

Best of luck with your decision.

 

[WDWRR_ENGINEER]

I say go for it! My wife and I were in the same boat, do we don't we so we did and now we are adrift in ROFR waiting for news. Going to be my B-Day gift to myself! Hope everything works out for ya.