Hi! Newbie questions.

[MikeTesta]

My wife and I just returned from our wedding at WDW and with that being our 10th trip in 5 years we have started to consider DVC as an option. First some background: I am 27, she is 25. We are both worker bees for the Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World. We live in Oregon. She is an Engineer for Intel, and I work for a small software company. So here are the questions:


1) How difficult is it to book a room at a different DVC Resort other than your home resort? (We would not be going in the busy times: Christmas, Spring Break...etc)

2) If it is not difficult, would it not be a good idea to buy into
the HH or VB resorts at a cheaper cost and then just book at a WDW DVC resort? If not why?

3)When trying to use the points for a non-disney resort (World Passport Collection) does the trade happen at YOUR home resort?
i.e. If I buy into the HH or VB resort and then try to book through the World Passport Collection, does the person I am trading with go to my home resort? Or are they given the points to use as though they were a member of DVC?

4)If the scenario in question 3 were true, then would it be a better option to buy into a more "popular" resort?

5)How difficult is it to use the World Passport Collection? Yes, I do realise that I am buying into Disney, and we plan on going every year, but I want to find out as much as I can.


That's all for now.

Thanks,

Michael & Mais Testa

 

[BrotherBear]

I can't answer questions about trades, because I've never done one, but...

1) How difficult is it to book a room at a different DVC Resort other than your home resort? (We would not be going in the busy times: Christmas, Spring Break...etc)

It is not that difficult to book at the seven month window. Example, I am an OKW owner. I just called yesterday for room availablity in early May and was told all WDW DCV resorts have 1 bedroom available. Now, this will not always be the case, but May is not very busy and the rooms reflect that. (If you try to go in earily Dec. that would not be the case) I have never had a problem with booking at the 7 month window. I am also very flexible with where I am willing to stay. I love allthe DVC resorts at WDW and if one is not available, I just ask for the next one.

2) If it is not difficult, would it not be a good idea to buy into
the HH or VB resorts at a cheaper cost and then just book at a WDW DVC resort? If not why?

Each DVC resort has it's own maint. fees each year. While VB is typically cheaper up front, they have the highest fees on an on going basis. It has been said many times on the board that you should buy where you want to stay the most. Although your lifestyle is such that you would not use the xmas / spring break times to go the WDW now, you never know what the future might hold and what your life will be like in 10 - 20 years. Just my thoughts!

 

[MikeTesta]

Thanks for the response. I thought of another question.


Did you finance through Disney, or did you go another route?

 

[tjkraz]

Just to add to some of BrotherBear's comments, no, it isn't particularly difficult to book non-Home resorts at non-peak times. But that's the situation today. Remember you're making an investment for the next 40-50 years.

According to this site, there are currently 181 rooms at VWL. Barring any future construction, that number will not change. But the number of DVC members is bound to double or triple in coming years. With more and more people vying for the same number of non-home resort rooms at the 7 month window, the only conclusion you can draw is that it WILL get more difficult to book the smaller resorts.

Also, you said that you currently travel during non-peak periods. Will that ALWAYS be the case? Are there children in your future? If so, most posts I've read seem to indicate that even if you are willing to pull your kids out of school for a trip when they are younger, it gets much more difficult as the children get older.

IMO, if you buy at the resort you most want to stay at, you will never be disappointed. I'd rather pay a little bit more for my chosen resort rather than risk disappointment year-after-year.

If it comes down to comparing costs, don't forget to factor in the extra 12 years of ownership at SSR. Even if you don't see yourselves visiting Disney while in your 70s, it might make a nice gift for your children / grandchildren to pass along the contract later in life.

 

[MikeTesta]

Good point, but I guess I should have said that we are planning to never have any kids. One of the reasons that we are together I guess. So booking at non-peak times should always be an option to us. Also, reading some other threads about new DVC resorts, it seems that Disney will not be building any new resorts off of property, so wouldn't the ratio of rooms improve for members of HH or VB? Am I missing something?


Thanks,

Mike & Mais Testa

 

[foxinsox]

I thought about some of these same issues, for me the extra couple thousand dollars now is more than offset by the 12 extra years. Also the annual fees for HH and VB are quite a bit higher, and if you just compare timeshare data, Disney resorts are always red while the others are not. That has to be worth something. I still have not bought, but if I do it will definately be at SSR.

 

[Caskbill]

Originally posted by MikeTesta
...... So booking at non-peak times should always be an option to us. Also, reading some other threads about new DVC resorts, it seems that Disney will not be building any new resorts off of property, so wouldn't the ratio of rooms improve for members of HH or VB? Am I missing something?


Thanks,

Mike & Mais Testa

Keep in mind that non-peak times for the Disney theme parks is not necessary non-peak time for DVC. In fact it can be quite the opposite. Because the parks are not crowded and the DVC point charts require fewer points during certain times of the year, these tend to become popular times for DVC members.

Not sure what you mean by ratio of rooms...etc. When booking at a non-home resort, all other resorts are equal. There is no ratio of any kind such as VB members get so many rooms at OKW, and so many rooms at BWV, or BCV, or SSR, etc, if that's what you were thinking. A non-home resort is open to any and all members who own at ANY of the other resorts.

As mentioned in the previous post's example, VWL has only so many rooms. At 7-months those rooms become available equally to ALL DVC members. Thus today you would only have OKW, BCV, BWV, VB or HH members trying to get those VWL rooms. But as the years go on and more resorts sell, you'll have more members, all the SSR members, and if built, all the EP members. Thus you would have more members trying for non-home resorts and this has the potential to make it more difficult to get some accommodations at 7-months. Obviously the larger the resort the more chance of getting it at 7-months, and the smaller the resort the less chance. For example the standard view rooms at BWV comprise the smallest classified point wise room count anywhere and thus they become some of the more difficult to get at 7-months. Likewise the OKW GV's are few in number and very popular because of their large size and smaller point cost so they tend to go fast.

 

[MikeTesta]

I guess the point I am trying to get across is that we don't care where we stay on Disney property, as long as it is on property, so the ratio of off-site (VB, HH) to on-site rooms would improve if they add more rooms. Also, being two adults without any type of restriction (financial, kids...etc) we would be able to travel at a moments notice if need be, so we aren't tied to any time of year for going to disney.

We both loved the Disney Institute and love the location, so SSR would be an ideal location, but if I could buy at HH or VB at almost $20 a point less but still get access to Disney property (notice I am not saying a particular property) would that up-front cost not off-set the maintence costs?


Thanks,


Mike & Mais Testa

 

[rocketriter]

As far as trading out to other resorts, planning ahead and being a bit flexible seems to work. We put in last month for a week of Hawaii during March of 2005, which is supposed to be difficult to get. We specified that week inflexibly, but we gave MS a list of six resorts that we'd accept. We were told to sit tight for 9 months, since a lot of these bookings don't materialize until 6 months before travel. But then we got a call last Friday with a "hit" on one of our preferred resorts, so off we go!

 

[foxinsox]

You could possibly come out better at Hilton Head, but Vero Beach is running quite a bit higher in annual fees, over 40 years I think you would end up spending more. All this is purely speculation because no one knows if all points will increase proportionally or not, and if you want less than 150 points then resale is the only option anyway.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by MikeTesta
We both loved the Disney Institute and love the location, so SSR would be an ideal location, but if I could buy at HH or VB at almost $20 a point less but still get access to Disney property (notice I am not saying a particular property) would that up-front cost not off-set the maintence costs?

That's something you need to decide for yourself. Anyone who claims that they know where the dues will go over the next two years--much less over the next 40 years--is a fool. The only guarantee is that increases will not exceed 15%.

Right now Vero is $.87 more than SSR per point. On a 200 pt contract, that's $174 per year. Certainly not small change.

Finally, if you think you're the only one to ever thing of buying at VB or HH with little intention of staying there, well...think again. But the question you should really be asking yourself is WHY resale prices are so low at those resorts. What pitfalls exist in the Public Offering Statement or purchase agreements for those resorts that might restrict you in the future?

 

[MikeTesta]

If I thought that I was the only one to think about this, I wouldn't be asking questions here about other's experiences?

Thanks for the responses about the first two questions, but what about the other four? Any issues with using the World Passport Collection? Any advice on the financing options (With or With-Out Disney)?


Thanks,

Mike & Mais Testa

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Buy a resale at one of the on-site resorts. VB & HH may be okay to have as a home resort now but who knows about ten years down the road. The few hundred dollars you save are not worth the risk.

Buy only the points you need for your current vacation patterns. You can always add-on down the road if your needs change.

If you want true value for your money, don't even think about using the points for anything other than WDW. You can stay at WDW for three nights off-season for the same points for one night at the lowest-priced Disneyland resort. You would be better off to rent your points at $10 each and use the proceeds to pay cash for non-WDW vacations.

As for financing, you would need to give more info. with help in that area. Do you own any real estate you could use for a Home Equity Loan? If you do, that would probably provide a lower interest rate than having to buy into SSR thru DVC for the sole purpose of obtaining financing.

Last, but not least, try not to sound so impatient with your replies. Anyone that is going out of their way to help a complete stranger should not feel chastised when trying to do so...

 

[littlestar]

Hi and Welcome!

I'll try to help you all I can.

On Question 1, the only rooms that have been hard to book for us so far at 7 months out have been Boardwalk standard view (less points than preferred). From our experience the end of January, 1st part of February, May (except the Epcot resorts because of the flower show at Epcot), and most of September have been pretty easy to switch from our Home Resort booking if we want to. Our Home Resorts are VWL and BCV. With SS being the largest DVC Walt Disney Word resort to date, I look for the 7-month booking window availability to tighten for the smaller resorts - BCV & VWL. (By the way, you have an 11 month booking window for your home resort).

On Question 2 - If your goal is to always stay at WDW, I would NOT buy at Hilton Head or Vero. At least if you buy at WDW you know you will be able to stay at your WDW home resort. I wouldn't chance it. Saratoga is going to be way too big of a resort (lots more members coming onboard) to chance the changes it can bring to being able to book at that 7-month window from off site.

On Question 3 - Trading is done through Interval International. They do not match one member to another timeshare member. They deposit your equivalent DVC week into the exchange system. It's no longer points, it's an exhange week (and I don't think the points keep a home resort identity when they become an exchange). I've never done it, so I'm sure there are others on the boards with more knowledge on how this works than me. But, I've got a basic grasp on how it works. I've heard buying DVC to exchange is not a great value. Our annual DVC maintenance fees are pretty high and a lot of people say that if you want to exchange on a regular basis, buy a cheap timeshare with low maintenance fees for that.

On Question 5 - I wouldn't buy DVC with the intent of using it to exchange. It's not a good value. I would only buy DVC if I knew I wanted to go to Disney at least every other year. Some people that go to Disney every other year buy 150 points (the minimum through Disney) and bank a years points every other year so they will have 300 points each trip. Then they buy a cheap timeshare for exchanging (one with low fees). A good site to learn more about timesharing in general is the Timeshare Users Group tug2.net - it costs $15.00 to join to have full access to the site, but it's well worth the money! There are reviews on TUG for just about any timeshare in the world. The Disney timeshares are rated on TUG also.

Good luck!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Do you think that you will use the 11 month window at your home resort, or do you think that most of your vacations will be at less than 7 months booking?

We just bought DVC in Sept.'03 and were thrilled to get a studio at VWL on less than 2 months notice, but it was for a weekend and that uses the most points, but that's when we could travel. We booked one weekend and one weekday night at BCV studio for early May at 6 months out and that's during the Flower and Garden Festival and were able to get an inn room at Vero Beach for 4 week nights in March at 7 months out. So, we have gotten what we want when we want. Usually we take trips ranging from 2 to 5 nights.

Now, for Dec. '04 the home resort has been important, I am calling day by day for 5 rooms for 4 nights just before Christmas. We want an Epcot resort, so we are using our home advantage.

We had "Magical Beginnings" with our main purchase, BWV, and so, it's only now that we have the bulk of our points to use, for reduced price, we bought, and gave Disney the use of our points in "03. Is there currently a deal like that for SSR?

Good luck in making your decision. We don't plan to use our points outside DVC.

When hurricanes are in the picture, you get lots of threads regarding VB and damage, but if we like VB, we'll probably buy some points there because that's where we want to stay! Buy where you'll be most happiest to stay.

Bobbi

 

[Capecodnut]

It doesnt matter what you home resort is if you are doing a trade in the World Passport Collection. There is a set amount of points for each size accommodation at each season of the year. Your home resort doesn't matter. You just need to be as flexible as possible on dates you can travel and resorts you want to go to in order to be successful.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Trading out isn't a good idea unless you have about 1000 pts to work with! Seriously, it'll cost you a year's worth of points--but there are places you can visit on your end of the country that are gorgeous, so maybe for you that would be a good use of points. I have traded out to visit the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island here in Michigan, at 42 pts per night. If I only had 150 pts, though, you can see why so many people would not recommend doing that. I could have used the same number of points to stay a week in my home resort in Orlando.

I financed 2 of my contracts thru Disney. Their interest is high (about 11%), but there are many reasons why that may be the better way to go, especially if you don't have much equity in your house. Disney's loans are for up to 10 years, and almost everyone is approved. Also, the loan doesn't show up on your credit report unless you're late on payments, you can pay as much extra as you want, there are no closing fees or other costs, and you can make ressies within a day or two of filling out paper work(although you can't actually take the vacation until you close). I did put one contract on MC at 0% interest, but you could get stung by doing that, so read the disclaimer.

 

[Capecodnut]

Trading out for a week with Interval International uses (in most cases) a lot less points than doing the Concierge Collection (like the Grand Hotel). These are by the night are are usually higher.

 

[rocketriter]

We're already booked to trade out through Interval International for 7 nights in a 1-bedroom in Hawaii in March of 2005. (We got it very quickly by starting way in advance and giving II a choice of 6 resorts that we'd accept for that week.) It's costing us 144 points. While it's true that we could probably sell those points for good value and purchase our vacation directly, it's also true that those 7 nights, on those dates, for a 1-bedroom in our home resort at WDW would cost us 270 points, so we're not complaining.