HELP ME OUT! Newbie considering DVC with so many questions!

[JLaycock]

Hi all,

First of all i'm new to DISboards so sorry if i'm posting something that's been posted a thousand times or breaching any rules about repetition etc..

Me and my partner live in the UK and have been vacationing at WDW yearly for the past half decade. We have considered DVC for the past couple of years but not been able to afford it. However i've since been introduced to the resale market and the price now seems much more within our remit. I have listened to the DIS DVC shows but still have so many questions so any help would be appreciated from the people with greater expertise /experience than me!

1) Do people generally find that they get their value from this when taking into account upkeep costs etc? We generally go to moderate / deluxe resorts so it seems on face value that it is an investments that pays for itself within a couple of years?
2) Are there any real losses to buying resale as opposed to from Disney direct? We are not too fussed about the discounts and the like but is there any other big negatives to the resale market?
3) I have heard from the podcasts that getting a studio room is very difficult and they are normally fully booked out. We are expecting a little boy in the next month, but until the distant future we will only be needing the standard one room set ups as opposed to villas / cabins etc. The parents sometimes come with us but rarely. Is this the case that smaller rooms are nearly impossible to find or do people find room availability to be reasonable? Given we are from the UK we like to vacation for 14 days if possible and we wouldn't be against hotel hopping if needs be.
4) I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? For example, our favourite resort is the Poly, which is more expensive that say AKL. Would it be best to folk out the extra for your favourite resort or to get the most points possible for the least cost? I appreciate that this doesn't take into account upkeep costs etc.
5) I assume all optional extras remain available? Dining plan, Memory Maker etc. We always go for the dining plan so that mostly.
6) How many visits would you suggest to be minimum to make your most out of this? We aim for once a year (2 weeks) and if not once every two years.
7) I keep hearing that your ownership / points keep their value and are 'inflation proof'. I don't really understand this. How can this be the case?

Again, sorry for all the questions that i am sure have been discussed before. On face value, it seems like an almost 'too good to be true' investment; especially given our last holiday to the Poly cost around £14,000 including tickets, dining plan etc. Any help from the experts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

 

[Jaguar Skills]

Not an expert by any means but we are from the UK and we have just purchased a contract and it is going through ROFR. You can ask me any questions you like but I'm not sure I am the best person to advise on all of the above. We bought 180 points at SSR Feb Use Year which would weve worked out will give us about 3 weeks 3 out of 4 years in a studio.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi all,

First of all i'm new to DISboards so sorry if i'm posting something that's been posted a thousand times or breaching any rules about repetition etc..

Me and my partner live in the UK and have been vacationing at WDW yearly for the past half decade. We have considered DVC for the past couple of years but not been able to afford it. However i've since been introduced to the resale market and the price now seems much more within our remit. I have listened to the DIS DVC shows but still have so many questions so any help would be appreciated from the people with greater expertise /experience than me!

1) Do people generally find that they get their value from this when taking into account upkeep costs etc? We generally go to moderate / deluxe resorts so it seems on face value that it is an investments that pays for itself within a couple of years?
2) Are there any real losses to buying resale as opposed to from Disney direct? We are not too fussed about the discounts and the like but is there any other big negatives to the resale market?
3) I have heard from the podcasts that getting a studio room is very difficult and they are normally fully booked out. We are expecting a little boy in the next month, but until the distant future we will only be needing the standard one room set ups as opposed to villas / cabins etc. The parents sometimes come with us but rarely. Is this the case that smaller rooms are nearly impossible to find or do people find room availability to be reasonable? Given we are from the UK we like to vacation for 14 days if possible and we wouldn't be against hotel hopping if needs be.
4) I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? For example, our favourite resort is the Poly, which is more expensive that say AKL. Would it be best to folk out the extra for your favourite resort or to get the most points possible for the least cost? I appreciate that this doesn't take into account upkeep costs etc.
5) I assume all optional extras remain available? Dining plan, Memory Maker etc. We always go for the dining plan so that mostly.
6) How many visits would you suggest to be minimum to make your most out of this? We aim for once a year (2 weeks) and if not once every two years.
7) I keep hearing that your ownership / points keep their value and are 'inflation proof'. I don't really understand this. How can this be the case?

Again, sorry for all the questions that i am sure have been discussed before. On face value, it seems like an almost 'too good to be true' investment; especially given our last holiday to the Poly cost around £14,000 including tickets, dining plan etc. Any help from the experts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

1. Do people generally find that they get their value? Well, yes and no. Much depends on where you purchase, when you purchased, what you paid for your points and how you use them. I think that those who buy today will find that the “value” of their points is much less than those points which belong to members who purchased a decade ago. Not only have annual dues and purchase costs per point risen, but the point requirements are also much steeper at newer resorts.
2. Are there any real losses to buying resale as opposed to from Disney direct? Aside from the discount benefits that resale buyers do not enjoy, there are restrictions as to where resale points can be used. For instance, they cannot be used for the Disney Collection, ABD, DCL, Disney Resort hotel rooms or for any newly built DVC Resorts beginning with Riviera. Additionally, Riviera resale points can only be used at Riviera.
3. Is this the case that smaller rooms are nearly impossible to find or do people find room availability to be reasonable? Getting a studio at your home resort at 11 months is not normally a challenge unless you’re talking about very busy DVC times (mid Sept. thru early Jan.) or race weekends. Value and club level studios at AKV are always difficult even for members who own there. At 7 months, studios at CCV and VGF tend to get booked up right at 8 AM Eastern Time, if they are available at all. AKV, SSR, OKW tend to remain available much longer and since Poly is almost completely studios there tends to be some availability into the 7-month mark.
4. I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? Yes. It can be important if you want that advantage to book your favorite resort at 11 months. You also have to consider the long-term cost of ownership. AKV annual fees tend to be higher than other resorts but if you want any shot at club level or value studios you pretty much have to own there. The general advice is to buy where you wouldn’t mind staying and you’ll never be disappointed with your purchase. If you see yourself wanting something bigger than a studio on most vacations, don’t buy at the Poly because the next step up there is the bungalows. If having to take a bus everywhere from your resort is a big negative, don’t choose AKV.
5. I assume all optional extras remain available? Never assume anything other than the fact that you have purchased accommodations. Everything else can change. At this time, you can still purchase MM just like any guest, whether you stay onsite or offsite. The dining plans are not currently offered to anyone and will probably return at some point but no one knows what form they may return in.
6. How many visits would you suggest to be minimum to make your most out of this? Too much hinges on how many points you buy, where you buy, where you spend them and on what level accommodations you choose. Your question is too broad for a good answer. Length of stays is not as important as where you stay. Spending your points for a week in a VGF GV every 2 years is going to provide a different value when compared to a week in an OKW studio every year. It’s best to put pen to paper yourself and apply the figures to how you anticipate using your points.
7. I keep hearing that your ownership / points keep their value and are 'inflation proof'. I don't really understand this. How can this be the case? I wouldn’t say that they are inflation-proof. And I don’t anticipate the 2042 resorts will hold their value for too much longer. But the reason that DVC retains its value, generally speaking, is two-fold. First, DVC exercises the right of first refusal on all resale contracts. This keeps the prices high even though some resorts have a shortened lifespan. Second, Disney hotel room rack rates have risen dramatically and will continue to rise in the future. This makes purchasing DVC appealing to those who anticipate regular visits.

Good luck with your decision making process. Keep reading and asking questions.

 

[JLaycock]

Not an expert by any means but we are from the UK and we have just purchased a contract and it is going through ROFR. You can ask me any questions you like but I'm not sure I am the best person to advise on all of the above. We bought 180 points at SSR Feb Use Year which would weve worked out will give us about 3 weeks 3 out of 4 years in a studio.

That sounds brilliant! Can i ask who you are purchasing the resale through? I've seen a few companies / websites but all in the states so i've been unsure if there is a company people like us from the UK use or whether everyone uses, say, DVCStore.com.

Thanks for the help!

 

[JLaycock]

1. Do people generally find that they get their value? Well, yes and no. Much depends on where you purchase, when you purchased, what you paid for your points and how you use them. I think that those who buy today will find that the “value” of their points is much less than those points which belong to members who purchased a decade ago. Not only have annual dues and purchase costs per point risen, but the point requirements are also much steeper at newer resorts.
2. Are there any real losses to buying resale as opposed to from Disney direct? Aside from the discount benefits that resale buyers do not enjoy, there are restrictions as to where resale points can be used. For instance, they cannot be used for the Disney Collection, ABD, DCL, Disney Resort hotel rooms or for any newly built DVC Resorts beginning with Riviera. Additionally, Riviera resale points can only be used at Riviera.
3. Is this the case that smaller rooms are nearly impossible to find or do people find room availability to be reasonable? Getting a studio at your home resort at 11 months is not normally a challenge unless you’re talking about very busy DVC times (mid Sept. thru early Jan.) or race weekends. Value and club level studios at AKV are always difficult even for members who own there. At 7 months, studios at CCV and VGF tend to get booked up right at 8 AM Eastern Time, if they are available at all. AKV, SSR, OKW tend to remain available much longer and since Poly is almost completely studios there tends to be some availability into the 7-month mark.
4. I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? Yes. It can be important if you want that advantage to book your favorite resort at 11 months. You also have to consider the long-term cost of ownership. AKV annual fees tend to be higher than other resorts but if you want any shot at club level or value studios you pretty much have to own there. The general advice is to buy where you wouldn’t mind staying and you’ll never be disappointed with your purchase. If you see yourself wanting something bigger than a studio on most vacations, don’t buy at the Poly because the next step up there is the bungalows. If having to take a bus everywhere from your resort is a big negative, don’t choose AKV.
5. I assume all optional extras remain available? Never assume anything other than the fact that you have purchased accommodations. Everything else can change. At this time, you can still purchase MM just like any guest, whether you stay onsite or offsite. The dining plans are not currently offered to anyone and will probably return at some point but no one knows what form they may return in.
6. How many visits would you suggest to be minimum to make your most out of this? Too much hinges on how many points you buy, where you buy, where you spend them and on what level accommodations you choose. Your question is too broad for a good answer. Length of stays is not as important as where you stay. Spending your points for a week in a VGF GV every 2 years is going to provide a different value when compared to a week in an OKW studio every year. It’s best to put pen to paper yourself and apply the figures to how you anticipate using your points.
7. I keep hearing that your ownership / points keep their value and are 'inflation proof'. I don't really understand this. How can this be the case? I wouldn’t say that they are inflation-proof. And I don’t anticipate the 2042 resorts will hold their value for too much longer. But the reason that DVC retains its value, generally speaking, is two-fold. First, DVC exercises the right of first refusal on all resale contracts. This keeps the prices high even though some resorts have a shortened lifespan. Second, Disney hotel room rack rates have risen dramatically and will continue to rise in the future. This makes purchasing DVC appealing to those who anticipate regular visits.

Good luck with your decision making process. Keep reading and asking questions.

This is really helpful! Thank you for the time you've put into this.

I'll certainly keep researching!

 

[sethschroeder]

Saw an answer but put my own pen to paper as well:
1) Do people generally find that they get their value from this when taking into account upkeep costs etc? We generally go to moderate / deluxe resorts so it seems on face value that it is an investments that pays for itself within a couple of years?
I don't think it will pay off in a couple years but more like 5-10 years just depending. What will make it pay off faster is if you have a larger group and will want a 1BR or 2BR vs doing hotel rooms.

2) Are there any real losses to buying resale as opposed to from Disney direct? We are not too fussed about the discounts and the like but is there any other big negatives to the resale market?
The only loss for the next 5-10 years for you is likely going to be not being able to stay at Riviera (a French/Italy inspired resort). For someone in the UK that likely is not a big deal as you can go to the real Riviera. AP discounts won't matter for you (UK tickets are possibly a better option) and discount on food/merchandise is minimal).

3) I have heard from the podcasts that getting a studio room is very difficult and they are normally fully booked out. We are expecting a little boy in the next month, but until the distant future we will only be needing the standard one room set ups as opposed to villas / cabins etc. The parents sometimes come with us but rarely. Is this the case that smaller rooms are nearly impossible to find or do people find room availability to be reasonable? Given we are from the UK we like to vacation for 14 days if possible and we wouldn't be against hotel hopping if needs be.
Studio is not bad to get they just say don't plan on the cheapest version of the studio. You will always get something if you are a little flexible (travel a week or two later vs moving to another resort). You can check out normal booking here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-bd-charts-september-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/

Also important to note that at 11 months you can book your home resort and you very likely will get a room (especially if you wait list and keep checking booking a night or two at a time as they free up).

4) I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? For example, our favourite resort is the Poly, which is more expensive that say AKL. Would it be best to folk out the extra for your favourite resort or to get the most points possible for the least cost? I appreciate that this doesn't take into account upkeep costs etc.
If you will be upset to never stay at POLY again then buy POLY. I would not count on anything being there at the 7 month window although its likely you will get POLY on and off. You might also need to do split stays if you have "sleep around points". Those are points bought at a resort because its cheap and you don't plan on staying there. You would book the AKL at 11 months and as the 7 month window opens switch your reservation around to add on nights at other resorts. You might end up with 3 nights at Poly, 1 at AKV, 2 at BLT, 5 at AKV, ect

If its all broken up then you will either live with it, waitlist, or possibly stalk the availability to slowly move your reservations around and consolidate them so in the end possibly its 5 nights at POLY, 7 nights at AKV, 3 nights at POLY.

5) I assume all optional extras remain available? Dining plan, Memory Maker etc. We always go for the dining plan so that mostly.
Dining plan is an option but its an extra cost and Memory Maker is an extra cost or it would be included if you did an Annual Pass (if that ended up being cheaper than your UK tickets).

6) How many visits would you suggest to be minimum to make your most out of this? We aim for once a year (2 weeks) and if not once every two years.
If you go every two years you are "safe" the goal is to not have an points expire. Right now there is a cap on borrowing of points by 50% (which was not the case before COVID-19). Borrowing and Banking could always change at which point you would come every year, rent the points out, or sell the contract (possibly break even in the future but nothing is a guarantee).

Borrowing at 50% means the following is true:
You have a 150 point contract
You can bank 150 points in to the following year and use on the reservation
You can use 150 points from the current year on the reservation
You can borrow 75 points (50% of 150) and use on the reservation
In total you would have access to 375 points (until they possibly lift the borrowing restriction or put other restrictions on)

7) I keep hearing that your ownership / points keep their value and are 'inflation proof'. I don't really understand this. How can this be the case?
They can not increase the total points at a resort. What this means is that if a studio is 15 points/night in September if they increase that to 16 points/night they have to decrease the cost in another part of the year by 1 point.

This basically means the only thing that increases in normal upkeep of the resort. There is no additional "profit" taken on your stay. Best way to think of it is you already paid the mouse and for the next 50 years you are paying the staff.

When you go to a normal hotel if it costs $200/night it likely is that you are paying $75 for the upkeep and are paying $125 to the company as profit. You are no longer paying that $75 as you paid the profit part upfront which is the part that can drastically increase at Disney over time.

By example I think room prices have went from $100 to $200 in value resorts at Disney a night in 20 years. On the flip side MFs have doubled as well but only on the maintenance you are not paying 2x on the profit side as well.

 

[JLaycock]

Thanks for that! I didn't know a lot of the things you've mentioned.

 

[Jaguar Skills]

That sounds brilliant! Can i ask who you are purchasing the resale through? I've seen a few companies / websites but all in the states so i've been unsure if there is a company people like us from the UK use or whether everyone uses, say, DVCStore.com.

Thanks for the help!

I found out that I cannot post the company on here because of the rules that some company details aren't able to be posted. It is stickied on one of the posts on the main page. I think everyone from the UK just uses the same main brokers rather than a particular one.

 

[Paul70]

1) Do people generally find that they get their value from this when taking into account upkeep costs etc? We generally go to moderate / deluxe resorts so it seems on face value that it is an investments that pays for itself within a couple of years?

If you typically stay at moderate or deluxe resorts, I do think it makes sense financially, especially if you buy resale. This website is a useful tool for determining the total cost of DVC: http://www.dvcproplan.com/buy.php I would manually update the annual dues numbers in this calculator. DW and I bought a 100 point BRV contract in 2017, and the numbers crunch out to a about $14.50/point over the life of the contract.

2) Are there any real losses to buying resale as opposed to from Disney direct? We are not too fussed about the discounts and the like but is there any other big negatives to the resale market?

No meaningful losses, in my opinion. You DO NOT want to use the points for DCL or RCI--the points required for those programs is NOT financially prudent. You may not be able to book Riviera with the new resale restrictions, so if that specific resort is important to you, consider that. Otherwise, you're losing discounts on merchandise, which you would have to buy TONS of to offset the savings of resale.

3) I have heard from the podcasts that getting a studio room is very difficult and they are normally fully booked out. We are expecting a little boy in the next month, but until the distant future we will only be needing the standard one room set ups as opposed to villas / cabins etc. The parents sometimes come with us but rarely. Is this the case that smaller rooms are nearly impossible to find or do people find room availability to be reasonable? Given we are from the UK we like to vacation for 14 days if possible and we wouldn't be against hotel hopping if needs be.

We reserve Studios exclusively, and we have not had a problem. This is related to the answer to the next question...

4) I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? For example, our favourite resort is the Poly, which is more expensive that say AKL. Would it be best to folk out the extra for your favourite resort or to get the most points possible for the least cost? I appreciate that this doesn't take into account upkeep costs etc.

YES. If you want a studio during any popular period, you want to book 11 months out. Getting a studio at the seven month mark is much more hit or miss, with the hits mostly at OKW and SSR. If you want to stay in a studio at the Poly, buy a Poly contract.

5) I assume all optional extras remain available? Dining plan, Memory Maker etc. We always go for the dining plan so that mostly.

Yep.

6) How many visits would you suggest to be minimum to make your most out of this? We aim for once a year (2 weeks) and if not once every two years.

I think that would make sense. Remember: You pay annual dues whether you go that year or not. But points can be banked, borrowed.

7) I keep hearing that your ownership / points keep their value and are 'inflation proof'. I don't really understand this. How can this be the case?

I think what that means is that the point charts will remain mostly constant. Timeshare laws regulate some of what Disney can and cannot do in terms of changing how many points it costs to stay in a room. On the whole, I think you will see the cost of, for instance, a week in September remain mostly the same. That's where the real value of the timeshare resides: As the cost of cash reservations increase, point charts stay the same. However, I'm using a lot of qualifying language here like "on the whole""some" and "mostly" deliberately. Disney does have flexibility, and it exercises it. A few years ago, Disney made weekend dates cost more points and shaved off the cost on weekdays to try to prompt a shift in reservations. There was a pretty significant outcry when Disney tried to more significantly change the point charts by adding to the costs of Studios and reducing the costs of bigger rooms; these changes would have had a significant effect on the value of low-point contracts like mine. There was enough push-back that Disney reversed course and restored the old charts. That was a pretty scary moment for me, though.

I don't want to end on a sour note, though. We have LOVED our DVC! We would not have afforded stays in Deluxe Resorts with cash reservations, but taking the DVC plunge has us staying in Deluxe resorts at roughly Moderate prices. I highly recommend buying resale. We used Resales DVC and had great service.

 

[lsutigers03]

Yes i will do because i'm not sure which company. How do i do that? Sorry i'm new to this!

You need 10 posts to private message. Once you it 10 click on the name you want to message and hit start conversation,.

 

[Sandisw]

Reminder...if a business is in our boards filter, it is not allowed to be discussed here on the DiS, including in our private message area.

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

4) I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? For example, our favourite resort is the Poly, which is more expensive that say AKL. Would it be best to folk out the extra for your favourite resort or to get the most points possible for the least cost? I appreciate that this doesn't take into account upkeep costs etc.

I would suggest buying somewhere you'd be ok with staying at. Reserve that studio at 11 months and then you have *something*. Then at 7 months you can see what's available and switch to Poly if it's available, etc.

For me, knowing how many *bathrooms* are involved is one of the most important things when more than 2 people are involved. Or overall square footage may be inportant to some. I can deal with a smaller space if there are more places to get ready.

I spend too much time looking at floor plans on the site - haha.

For that reason it's good to know 1 bedrooms at Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Kidani have 2 bathrooms. And their 2 bedrooms have 3 bathrooms. Total sinks can help too - haha. Someone (Micah008) from a different forum put this chart together which is helpful:

 

[Lorana]

For that reason it's good to know 1 bedrooms at Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Kidani have 2 bathrooms. And their 2 bedrooms have 3 bathrooms. Total sinks can help too - haha. Someone (Micah008) from a different forum put this chart together which is helpful:

That chart is hugely helpful! Is it by chance available in spreadsheet format, so that I can sort and filter to my heart's desire?

 

[JLaycock]

4) I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? For example, our favourite resort is the Poly, which is more expensive that say AKL. Would it be best to folk out the extra for your favourite resort or to get the most points possible for the least cost? I appreciate that this doesn't take into account upkeep costs etc.

I would suggest buying somewhere you'd be ok with staying at. Reserve that studio at 11 months and then you have *something*. Then at 7 months you can see what's available and switch to Poly if it's available, etc.

For me, knowing how many *bathrooms* are involved is one of the most important things when more than 2 people are involved. Or overall square footage may be inportant to some. I can deal with a smaller space if there are more places to get ready.

I spend too much time looking at floor plans on the site - haha.

For that reason it's good to know 1 bedrooms at Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Kidani have 2 bathrooms. And their 2 bedrooms have 3 bathrooms. Total sinks can help too - haha. Someone (Micah008) from a different forum put this chart together which is helpful:

View attachment 507020

View attachment 507021

That's a good strategy. I like it!

 

[gmflash88]

4) I appreciate that buying the resort that you want to vacation at most is helpful given the 11 month booking window, but is that worth the possible extra price? For example, our favourite resort is the Poly, which is more expensive that say AKL. Would it be best to folk out the extra for your favourite resort or to get the most points possible for the least cost? I appreciate that this doesn't take into account upkeep costs etc.

I would suggest buying somewhere you'd be ok with staying at. Reserve that studio at 11 months and then you have *something*. Then at 7 months you can see what's available and switch to Poly if it's available, etc.

For me, knowing how many *bathrooms* are involved is one of the most important things when more than 2 people are involved. Or overall square footage may be inportant to some. I can deal with a smaller space if there are more places to get ready.

I spend too much time looking at floor plans on the site - haha.

For that reason it's good to know 1 bedrooms at Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Kidani have 2 bathrooms. And their 2 bedrooms have 3 bathrooms. Total sinks can help too - haha. Someone (Micah008) from a different forum put this chart together which is helpful:

View attachment 507020

View attachment 507021

Holy smokes! Can I second what @Lorana said and get a copy of that? I'll buy you a Dole Whip next time we're down!

 

[Donna M]

We bought SSR direct since I didn't know about resale back in 2005 for about $87 a point. If I was going to buy resale today, I would buy the most points I could afford at WDW, not Vero for example at the cheapest resort that I liked well enough. If you are flexible with your traveling dates, it would be easier to get into a different resort at the 7 month mark, exactly 7 months at 8am EST.

When your family gets bigger, you may want to move up to a 1 bd unit which has the full kitchen and washer and dryer. Spending 2 weeks and buying the dining plan must cost a fortune! Having a kitchen is a huge help for saving money. You can split your stay and that would let you buy the DDP for a shorter time frame, if that would be a consideration.

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

@Lorana & @gmflash88:
For some reason I can't sign up for that other forum to ask Micah008 so I tried to recreate his spreadsheet.
1) No idea how accurate his info is but he's the bomb for compiling and updating it.
2) I probably made a few mistakes when typing it in just now so any eagle-eyes that see mistakes let me know and I'll fix.
3) There's a second tab with non-WDW resorts (Grand Californian / Vero Beach, etc) as well for those who would like that info.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UNkjoQOdh89IABlDNA6EfIAk6nuOjHrnuwhqdLqxJgI/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Deb & Bill]

You'll usually want to book your home resort right at 11 months out to make sure you have a villa for your trip. Then at seven months out, look to see what else is available to book. You might find something depending on the time of the year (Sept through mid-Jan can be hard to book at seven months out). You'll also want to remember that DVC doesn't give you park admission, food or transportation to Lake Buena Vista. You'll still be paying for those no matter what you decide. So when you say you spent 14,000 pounds for your last trip, deduct the cost of those three because they won't be covered by DVC. You'll never get free dining with DVC. You probably will never get buy 3 get 2 more for free. When the dining plan first came out, DVC wasn't eligible to purchase the plan for at least the first year of operation. If they change it in the future, who knows how it will be set up.

Some of the studios are really small unless you are just a party of two. With a baby, you might want a one bedroom (remember, the Polynesian doesn't have one bedroom villas at all). With guests along, you'd probably want multiple villas or a two bedroom villa. Take a look at the DVC points charts to see what you might need to book that two week stay.

In 23 years of owning, we've taken 50+ trips. Now we live in SW Florida, so we're only a few hours away and we can take shorter trips (three or four nights versus seven to ten nights). I think we've gotten our worth out of our purchase since we paid $50 direct from DVC in 1997. But when you pay upwards from $140 per point (even resale sometimes), it may take a lot longer.

 

[Boopuff]

Thanks for this post. I'm also considering a small-ish contract - at OKW. We love that resort! so help me out here:
- If I buy through Disney direct, there are certain DVC perks (what are those?) that I wouldn't get if I bought "second hand".
- Let's say I buy 100 points. and I don't go every year. So if I want to go in 2023. The points from 2022 roll over (100) and I can borrow (100) from 2024. so I'd have 300 points to use. Am I correct?

 

[JavaDuck]

The points don't automatically roll over. You would have to bank them in the first 8 months of your use year. And right now you are only allowed to borrow 50% of your points from the next use year. So, in your scenario, the most points you could have in one year would be 250 (100 points banked, 100 points current use year, and 50 points borrowed from next use year).