Home Resort

[ecualumni06]

Hello all I am in the market to buy DVC property no later than the end of the year (I am hoping for the cruise incentive travel is flexible for me). I can't seem to pick my home resort. I go back and forth, I really like AKV but it seems if I wanna stay there there proably won't be much of a problem (I think) I also like BLT and I absolutly love Aulani but live on the east coast so that would be an every 2 year trip at best.

So I am posing the question to all you expert DVC members how did you choose which resort as your home resort. Also any suggestions for me will be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[adminjedi]

Bought SSR, sold it 'cause it just wasn't our cup of tea.
Bought AKV for the unique experience and Concierge.
Bought BCV for the location and pool.
Bought Aulani, well, that is obvious!

 

[Cindyrellablue]

DH and I purchased BLT this year...we chose this resort because we liked the proximity to MK and also loved the decor. I also like the fact that it is all one building and not spread out over a large area. I know that type of resort may work for some, but we prefer to stay in something that is more hotel-like.

We considered AKL, but figured that as the years get on, and we have a family for ourselves, we'll enjoy the transportation options of the Monorail and the ability to walk over to MK.

 

[disneynutz]

Here are my rules for buying based upon our experience of owning 26 contracts at 5 different resorts.

Don't buy anywhere unless you have stayed there first.

Buy where you love to stay, the 11/7 month rule could change.

Don't buy based on what has happened in the past, just because AKV has had availability in the past, doesn't mean that they will in the future.

The DVC has had some pretty major rule/policy changes over the last few years and the membership has almost doubled. I wouldn't be surprised if there are additional changes as the membership grows larger and larger.

Bill

 

[CMOORE185]

The DVC has had some pretty major rule/policy changes over the last few years and the membership has almost doubled. I wouldn't be surprised if there are additional changes as the membership grows larger and larger.

Bill

What are the major rule/policy changes you are talking about? I have owned since 2000 and and the growth of membership has seen no impact in how we use DVC.

 

[ksheppard]

It depends on what you are looking for. For instance, I bought BLT for the location but to be honest with you when I go back to WDW I don't necessarily stay there because the points it takes are extremely high. Unless it is essential for you to stay where you buy, I would buy where the points and the maintenance fees are the least.

 

[derricksonb]

Unless it is essential for you to stay where you buy, I would buy where the points and the maintenance fees are the least.

I can not emphasize that statement more. We bought BCV in 2003. We chose this resort because at the time we were expecting our first child, loved the location, and realized that we don't o to the parks everyday and the pool gave us a nice option for down days. However we tend to stay at various resorts depending on the time of year and how many points we have available.

 

[JimMIA]

However we tend to stay at various resorts depending on the time of year and how many points we have available.

This sums up our approach as well. We really don't care that much where we stay, because all of the DVC resorts are great and each has their own unique qualities that we enjoy. To us, points is points, so we've tended to purchase whatever offered the lowest combined cost -- once buying resale and once direct, both times based on price.

We have not had any difficulties getting reservations at non-home resorts, and if we do, we're fine staying at either of our home resorts. Actually, with the quiet, relaxing atmosphere after a busy day in the parks and the huge villas, OKW has emerged as our runaway favorite resort.

 

[Coach81]

SSR, it was a good deal on resale, and we liked it.

 

[Sandisw]

It depends on what you are looking for. For instance, I bought BLT for the location but to be honest with you when I go back to WDW I don't necessarily stay there because the points it takes are extremely high. Unless it is essential for you to stay where you buy, I would buy where the points and the maintenance fees are the least.

I think the important thing to remember about the point cost at BLT is that you have to compare it against the resorts you would choose to stay at as an alternative as well as the season you are traveling. It will not always cost someone more to stay at BLT than elsewhere.

We travel in Magic season and will most often rent 1 bedrooms. The only DVC resorts we are interested in possibly moving to if we don't stay at BLT are BCV and possibly VWL or BWV. Comparing these, I can get BLT SV for 268 per week. It would cost me 269 at BCV, 271 at VWL, and 271 at BWV.

So, for us, the number of points we would need for our summer trips is the actually less. Since we own there, we should have no trouble getting SV rooms since we will always book at 11 months.

While there are cheaper one bedrooms out there, it does us no good as we would not choose those resorts.

I agree with Bill that choosing a resort without having ever stayed there, or at the very least, investigating the area, can lead someone to make a choice they are not happy with down the road, especially if they ever change the home resort booking period to less, unless you are someone who really does not care where you stay and will be happy at any of the resorts.

 

[Sandisw]

Hello all I am in the market to buy DVC property no later than the end of the year (I am hoping for the cruise incentive travel is flexible for me). I can't seem to pick my home resort. I go back and forth, I really like AKV but it seems if I wanna stay there there proably won't be much of a problem (I think) I also like BLT and I absolutly love Aulani but live on the east coast so that would be an every 2 year trip at best.

So I am posing the question to all you expert DVC members how did you choose which resort as your home resort. Also any suggestions for me will be much appreciated.

Thanks

We chose BLT because we had stayed at the CR for years and loved that location. MK is our favorite park and continues to be even though our kids are older.

We thought about DVC for years but decided we did not want to stay in other locations so never bought in. We became members in 2009 when BLT became a reality.

We also like the more hotel style of resort and find it very convenient to go to the CR for everything.

We typically have a rental car which makes travel to other places pretty easy. But, if we decide to go without one, getting around to other resorts for meals and things is pretty easy as we could walk to the MK bus depot and hop on a bus to any resort that we want.

If you are really undecided or want more than one home resort, I would start small with one you know you will enjoy staying at and go from there. You can then see how easy or hard it is to get the other ones you are interested in before deciding where to add on more points.

We just completed a small 30 point add on. We just came back and stayed at both BCV and BLT. We considered looking for a BCV resale to add to our BLT points but in the end, we knew that BLT made us happy and since we had some luck getting BCV at 7 months, we decided to just stick with one home resort.

 

[DizGirl20]

Truthfully, we bought our home resort (AKV) because we wanted to buy direct and last year Disney was offering it at great price with good incentives. Prior to our purchase we had been to AKL a few times to eat at the restaurants, do some shopping and check out the savannah; we already knew we would love to stay there. We also wanted a location that offered Grand Villas and Concierge options and AKV offers both.

That being said, we stayed at BCV this year and fell in love with the location and SAB. I would love to own points there some day but also recognize BCV has higher dues than AKV. Most likely our stays in the future will be at AKV or BCV. If the time comes when we are not able to stay at BCV with our AKV points, then we will purchase a BCV resale. But for now we are happy with our AKV purchase.

Take your time and do a lot of reading on these boards. They are soooo helpful. Good Luck!

 

[DebbieB]

What are the major rule/policy changes you are talking about? I have owned since 2000 and and the growth of membership has seen no impact in how we use DVC.

The banking rules have changed. It used to be you could bank a percentage of your points up to the 60 day mark of the end of your use year.

The waitlist rules have changed.

A reservation fee has been added to the Disney Collection.

 

[disneynutz]

What are the major rule/policy changes you are talking about? I have owned since 2000 and and the growth of membership has seen no impact in how we use DVC.

The dates when you can book was changed, the number of wait lists that you can have was changed, when you can bank your points was changed, the fee for non DVC resorts was changed, and the amenities in the studios was changed.

That's not counting the perks that were changed.

Adding additional members will probably cause additional changes. Members aren't getting the accommodations that they want so the wait lists have increased, that's why the new limit of only 2. As more people call MS every day to check on their wait list, there will be a restriction on wait list calling or a MS fee.

A lot of people buy at the least expensive resorts with no intention of staying at the home resort. There are only so many rooms that can be booked at 7 months and doing so has changed things. The available inventory for a room anywhere other than SSR less than 6 months out has really decreased and split stays are becoming the norm.

The members that are buying Aulani may soon find out that the flight time is too long or too expensive or that they miss all that WDW has to offer. They will end up vacationing more at WDW and adding to the 7 month rush and inventory shortage.

We are moving into unknown territory and only time will tell what Disney has in store for us. Hopefully they will work to make the member experience a positive one.

Bill

 

[Disneypubgal]

The dates when you can book was changed, the number of wait lists that you can have was changed, when you can bank your points was changed, the fee for non DVC resorts was changed, and the amenities in the studios was changed.

That's not counting the perks that were changed.

Adding additional members will probably cause additional changes. Members aren't getting the accommodations that they want so the wait lists have increased, that's why the new limit of only 2. As more people call MS every day to check on their wait list, there will be a restriction on wait list calling or a MS fee.

A lot of people buy at the least expensive resorts with no intention of staying at the home resort. There are only so many rooms that can be booked at 7 months and doing so has changed things. The available inventory for a room anywhere other than SSR less than 6 months out has really decreased and split stays are becoming the norm.

The members that are buying Aulani may soon find out that the flight time is too long or too expensive or that they miss all that WDW has to offer. They will end up vacationing more at WDW and adding to the 7 month rush and inventory shortage.

We are moving into unknown territory and only time will tell what Disney has in store for us. Hopefully they will work to make the member experience a positive one.

Bill

Just curious... but what would everyone consider a minor change if they feel these are "major" changes...? I think the banking changes are actually for the better... and perks are not guaranteed, they are perks and we were told that from time to time they would change....

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Just curious... but what would everyone consider a minor change if they feel these are "major" changes...? I think the banking changes are actually for the better... and perks are not guaranteed, they are perks and we were told that from time to time they would change....

I don't think anyone necessarily thinks the changes are a bad thing, but they are major changes. Future major changes could be restrictions on trading out of home resort (although doubtful) or the windows could be changed (ie. 11/5 or something like that, basically giving owners of the resort more time to decide (and possibly aligning with park hours being released).

 

[disneynutz]

Just curious... but what would everyone consider a minor change if they feel these are "major" changes...? I think the banking changes are actually for the better... and perks are not guaranteed, they are perks and we were told that from time to time they would change....

Minor or major, it really doesn't matter, there have been changes in the last few years to policies and rules that have been in place since the DVC started. Some people may like the changes, others may not. Some like the point reallocation others had to buy, borrow or rent additional points from Disney.

Yes, perks can change, we have all read that a million times, but it is a change. Was free Valet service dropped because the membership has increased and more people were using it?

Bill

 

[CMOORE185]

The dates when you can book was changed, the number of wait lists that you can have was changed, when you can bank your points was changed, the fee for non DVC resorts was changed, and the amenities in the studios was changed.

That's not counting the perks that were changed.

Adding additional members will probably cause additional changes. Members aren't getting the accommodations that they want so the wait lists have increased, that's why the new limit of only 2. As more people call MS every day to check on their wait list, there will be a restriction on wait list calling or a MS fee.

A lot of people buy at the least expensive resorts with no intention of staying at the home resort. There are only so many rooms that can be booked at 7 months and doing so has changed things. The available inventory for a room anywhere other than SSR less than 6 months out has really decreased and split stays are becoming the norm.

The members that are buying Aulani may soon find out that the flight time is too long or too expensive or that they miss all that WDW has to offer. They will end up vacationing more at WDW and adding to the 7 month rush and inventory shortage.

We are moving into unknown territory and only time will tell what Disney has in store for us. Hopefully they will work to make the member experience a positive one.

Bill

I consider these minor changes not major changes, with very little effect on the vacation club. Additional members means additional rooms. As far as people buying the least expensive resorts to stay at other resorts, I personally have seen no effect from this. To me most people buying Aulani will be from Japan and the west coast and will make little impact on the resorts at WDW.

 

[Disneypubgal]

I consider these minor changes not major changes, with very little effect on the vacation club. Additional members means additional rooms. As far as people buying the least expensive resorts to stay at other resorts, I personally have seen no effect from this. To me most people buying Aulani will be from Japan and the west coast and will make little impact on the resorts at WDW.

Totally agree!! I would hate to see some of the changes that are in the realm of possibility occur... like only being able to stay at home resort... for me that would be major and some of things that have already happened IMO are just minor... sorry to disagree with others...

 

[cbum1]

Mostly agree with the rest of the group except we bought at SSR and love it. You can walk to DTD and it is open til 1am usually. The place never feels busy. We have gone in peak and non-peak times and the pools are never over crowded or ridiculous lines at the Artists Palate. If you are looking to be close to MK then without question BLT is a no-brainer. AK has to be quiet but it is far away from doing anything else. If you like Epcot then BWV or BCV are over there. I personally think that it really doesn't matter. You can book at anyone of the places as long as you are prepared to book the minute your 7 month window opens.