Help me decide!

[samples78]

My DH and I are trying to decide at which resort to buy a small resale contract. We are currently looking at HHI (around 60-80 pts), SSR (around 50-75 pts) and BLT (around 50-60 pts). Here are my thoughts behind these 3 resorts:

HHI - very low buy in cost, close to home (about 4.5 hours), my DH, who likes Disney, but is not in love with it, is probably more comfortable with the idea of having a base outside of Disney, higher dues

SSR - low buy in cost, lower dues, wouldn't mind staying here but not my first choice, doesn't expire until 2054

BLT - highest buy in cost, lowest dues (for now), great location, would like to stay here but not necessarily every time (I really like all of the resorts, both at WDW and in HHI and VB), doesn't expire until 2060

So, with the variance in buy in cost, we could afford the most points at HHI and the least at BLT, but with HHI having much higher dues we would not want to buy to many more points.

Here is where I stand now - I love BLT, but the higher buy in cost is probably more than we want to commit at this time, so I am really deciding between SSR and HHI (unless something comes along I haven't thought of and convinces me otherwise).

I don't know what would work the best for our family trips as well as our budget. We would probably bank and borrow for family trips with my parents (or in-laws) and/or transfer in points, and then some years just take a small 3-4 night trip in a studio (adults only or girls only, etc.).

What would you suggest?

 

[tkalita]

My DH and I are trying to decide at which resort to buy a small resale contract. We are currently looking at HHI (around 60-80 pts), SSR (around 50-75 pts) and BLT (around 50-60 pts). Here are my thoughts behind these 3 resorts:

HHI - very low buy in cost, close to home (about 4.5 hours), my DH, who likes Disney, but is not in love with it, is probably more comfortable with the idea of having a base outside of Disney, higher dues

SSR - low buy in cost, lower dues, wouldn't mind staying here but not my first choice, doesn't expire until 2054

BLT - highest buy in cost, lowest dues (for now), great location, would like to stay here but not necessarily every time (I really like all of the resorts, both at WDW and in HHI and VB), doesn't expire until 2060

So, with the variance in buy in cost, we could afford the most points at HHI and the least at BLT, but with HHI having much higher dues we would not want to buy to many more points.

Here is where I stand now - I love BLT, but the higher buy in cost is probably more than we want to commit at this time, so I am really deciding between SSR and HHI (unless something comes along I haven't thought of and convinces me otherwise).

I don't know what would work the best for our family trips as well as our budget. We would probably bank and borrow for family trips with my parents (or in-laws) and/or transfer in points, and then some years just take a small 3-4 night trip in a studio (adults only or girls only, etc.).

What would you suggest?

Tough call. We just bought into BLT last October. I'm very happy with the decision because I LOVE the location, it's the only DVC resort on the monorail so it's highly sought after and renting reservations will be easy, if necessary. Not that's it's a reason to buy but I did want to have an option of recouping some of our money if we didn't want to vacation one year and although anyone can try and rent their points, renting a BLT reservation over a holiday would be easier. (This is simply my opinion, not sure if it's true). Depending on the times you want to travel, I think BLT is tough to get into during peak times if you don't own or rent points from a BLT owner. Just what I've heard on the boards.

I also loved the low maitenance fees. Once you get past paying the initial cost, your only expense is keeping up with the fees so obviously, over the long term, the cost of fees is very important. Our guide explained that the ocean resorts (HHI, VB) are high because the are on the ocean and receive alot more wear and tear. The large resorts (SSR, OKW) have alot of grounds to tend to. BWV has to maintain the boardwalk...and so on. BLT is a high rise with practically no grounds which is why the fees are so low. I would expect them to always stay at the bottom of the pack on the fee scale.

I know I'm pro BLT and you said it's out of your price range but our options were SSR or BLT when we bought and it was an easy decision for us. The down side is 50-60 at BLT doesn't get you very far because it is still priced high (points per night) and may always be a little high because of the proximity to MK and the monorail.

Not sure if this helps!

 

[Mtnman44]

Everyone will have their own take on this, since everyone has different preferences and priorities. Here is my two cents:

-Only buy HHI if you plan on staying there for the majority of your trips. If you are buying DVC to stay at WDW, then purchase one of the WDW locations. This is to ensure that you have the 11 month booking window for somewhere at WDW.

-You should consider BLT if you really, really want either the MK view or the standard(cheap) view. Those tend to go fast and you'll need the home booking advantage. However, those MK views are very expensive so you'll need more points.

-SSR is a good solution, especially if you are not overly concerned about a specific resort / room type on every trip. SSR is my wifes favorite resort and I like it fine. We are staying at the treehouses in January which the Home resort window is helpful for also.

-might I also suggest AKV? Resales are very affordable right now, it has great room/point choices. it is a very nice, fully themed resort. Very disney.

 

[samples78]

Thanks for the suggestions. It is very helpful to get different points of view.

-might I also suggest AKV? Resales are very affordable right now, it has great room/point choices. it is a very nice, fully themed resort. Very disney.

Actually, AKV is our current favorite and if the perfect contract came around I might be swayed. My only problems with AKV are that it has higher dues and is more expensive than SSR (AKV is still going for about 20-25% more than SSR), but if the two were not too far off in price I would pick AKV (would love to try and stay concierge sometime). The other problem is that there are a lot more SSR contracts out there, so finding one with the right amount of points and a use year that works for us is easier than with AKV.

 

[Sandisw]

HH would be a good choice if you plan on using the points at HH on a semi regular basis or, if you will find that owning a small contract at HH is all you will ever need for the stays you plan to do there.

If you don't see yourself visiting HH that often, however, then I would not choose that as my home resort, especially since owning there would limit you to never booking at WDW until 7 months out. Depending on when you wanted to travel, that could cause a problem.

As far as BLT vs. SSR, I think it comes down to where you would prefer staying and adding on more points in the future. If you feel that you would like to be able to stay at BLT and trade out from there, then go with that.

If you are okay with SSR and being there if nothing is available, then this might be an option as you save money, own at WDW so can book there at 11 months so you have somewhere to stay, MF's are reasonable, and get a longer contract.

In the long run, I think getting rooms at BLT at 7 months will be harder than getting them at SSR.

We bought BLT because we wanted to stay there and wanted to give ourselves the home resort advantage, even though we could have saved around $5000 to buy SSR. Over time, however, this extra money really amounts to very little. Even if we assume our DVC will last us only 10 years (and we plan on going for a lot longer than that), we spent an extra $500 for your yearly trip to be happy.

And, we have traded out for our summer trips and have had the opportunity to try VWL, BCV, and BWV.

IMO, think about the long term and where you see yourself wanting to stay and go with that!

Good luck!

 

[JimMIA]

I'll echo most of what others have said about HHI. I would only buy points there to stay there - definitely not to stay at WDW.

We are only guaranteed that we can use our points at our home resort. The ability to use points at other resorts in a benefit we have always had since they started building additional resorts, and I do not think it will ever go away. However, if it did and you only owned at HHI, you would not be able to book at WDW.

In addition, owning at WDW allows you to book your home resort at 11 months (so you're sure you have someplace to stay) and then try to switch to a non-home resort at 7 months.

With your concern about costs and your desire to start small and keep expenses manageable, I would buy at either SSR or OKW. Both are excellent buys (we own at both), and both have lower dues which are likely to remain low over the long term. Hotel-connected resorts historically have tended to start out with low dues at first, but soon pass OKW after a very few years.

If I were in your shoes, I would take a long look at OKW. The prices are a little lower there, it's a beautiful resort with much larger villas, and the dues are low.

Yeah, I know...OKW expires in 2042. But that brings me back to the same math I used when DVC offered the extension to 2057 to OKW owners: "Do I want spend money for more points now, or for points I don't get until 2042?" Especially just starting out with a small contract, you may want more points now.

One other suggestion. Small contracts like you want go very quickly on the resale market, so you have to be ready to pull the trigger quickly. I would contact The Timeshare Store, give them the sizes of contracts and resorts you want to buy, and they will email you or call you prior to the contract being posted on their website. Many, many small contracts are actually sold before they are advertised because there is a buyer just waiting for that particular deal.

 

[adminjedi]

Good luck deciding!
Whatever you choose, many Disney memories ahead!

 

[samples78]

If I were in your shoes, I would take a long look at OKW. The prices are a little lower there, it's a beautiful resort with much larger villas, and the dues are low.

Yeah, I know...OKW expires in 2042. But that brings me back to the same math I used when DVC offered the extension to 2057 to OKW owners: "Do I want spend money for more points now, or for points I don't get until 2042?" Especially just starting out with a small contract, you may want more points now.

One other suggestion. Small contracts like you want go very quickly on the resale market, so you have to be ready to pull the trigger quickly. I would contact The Timeshare Store, give them the sizes of contracts and resorts you want to buy, and they will email you or call you prior to the contract being posted on their website. Many, many small contracts are actually sold before they are advertised because there is a buyer just waiting for that particular deal.

Thanks for this advice. I had not been looking that closely at OKW because it has 12 years less than SSR and we will only be 65 at that point (I am hoping to still have plenty of years left to travel at then), but I can always add on at another resort in a few years and it would allow us to get a few more points right now while our girls are still traveling with us.

As for being ready to jump on the smaller contracts - I know. I have been watching them closely for the last couple of months and it is tough to see the contracts that would have worked disappear in a matter of hours/days. That is one reason I want to nail down exactly what we want so that if a contract that meets our requirements comes available I will feel comfortable calling right away.

 

[Mtnman44]

With the contract sizes you mentioned, I think you might be putting too much emphasis on dues and purchase prices. With a small contract, these differences don't amount to much. At least, in my opinion, not enough to sway a major 40 or 50 year decision.

Remember, while dues are a major consideration, and overtime will be the largest part of the DVC cost, the DIFFERENCES in dues between the various WDW DVC resorts are fairly minor, especially for smaller sized contracts.

Take an example 100 point hypothetical contract:

current resale estimates:
SSR = $7,000 @ $70 per point
AKV = $8,000 @ $80 per point

Ok, that is $1,000 bucks..... but that is spread out over your entire use of the contract. Is $50 a year or less worth it to you to give up your favorite AKV? Something to consider....

for 2010, AKV dues are .49 per point more than SSR. on a 100 point contract that amounts to $49 per year.....Is it worth it to you to save $4 a month? Only you can decide what is best for you, but be sure to put all of these cost differences in perspective. Now, if you want to own 500 points, then that is a whole different ballgame in terms of cost differences.

Thanks for the suggestions. It is very helpful to get different points of view.



Actually, AKV is our current favorite and if the perfect contract came around I might be swayed. My only problems with AKV are that it has higher dues and is more expensive than SSR (AKV is still going for about 20-25% more than SSR), but if the two were not too far off in price I would pick AKV (would love to try and stay concierge sometime). The other problem is that there are a lot more SSR contracts out there, so finding one with the right amount of points and a use year that works for us is easier than with AKV.

 

[palaemon]

Yeah, I know...OKW expires in 2042. But that brings me back to the same math I used when DVC offered the extension to 2057 to OKW owners: "Do I want spend money for more points now, or for points I don't get until 2042?" Especially just starting out with a small contract, you may want more points now

Are new (resale) OKW owners offered the 2057 extension?

I'm assuming not since the extension offer for those points/that contract was already declined once, right?

 

[MarshallMoore6]

I recommend BWV. It is close to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Good for adults and few bus rides required. I don't like riding the buses.

 

[BBG-BLT]

Good luck - I love BLT so much I'm not much help here.

 

[a742246]

It looks like you investigated alot. The only thing I can add right now is in the future it may get harder to book in WDW at the 7 month window (more outside resorts are being built, and more smaller contracts are being sold) so keep that in mind. Also, HHI expires in 2042.
Another thing, the best deal for your size family would be the three bedroon treehouse villas at saratoga springs and most of the time they are only available at the 11 month window.