Home Resort???????

[Jmb4846]

We are close on purchasing our first DVC, but are having a hard time picking our home resort. We really like BLT, but the savings on purchasing at SSR are hard to pass up. If we purchase SSR is it possible to get into BLT at 7 months? We typically travel in October, January, and March and would need a 2 BR villa. Any advice would be great…. Thanks

 

[chalee94]

We really like BLT, but the savings on purchasing at SSR are hard to pass up. If we purchase SSR is it possible to get into BLT at 7 months?

it's possible sometimes. it's also possible that you might get locked out of BLT and have to stay at SSR.

if staying at SSR is ok with you, buy SSR and save some money.

if you'd feel disappointed to be "stuck" at SSR, then buy BLT if you can book at 10-11 months out.

that's what it comes down to...

 

[crisi]

I think most of the time, if you call right at seven months - you'll get BLT. But you won't get a MK View or a Standard View very often - you'll get lake view. And you probably won't have access to BLT Grand Villas.

There may be a few times when you get stuck staying somewhere else. You may have other options than just SSR though, one of them may not be BLT.

 

[kenny]

As others have said, if you call right at 7 months you will probably get BLT, just not MKV or Stnd. Also I would think that Dec would be difficult to get as well.

We are former SSR owners and current BLT owners. We purchased SSR back in '08 and loved it. SSR is very relaxing, had great amenities and we loved the Congress Park section.

We added on at BLT in late '08 and after staying there last year knew THAT is where we wanted to be. We had the hard decision of just added more pts at BLT and havint 2 homes or selling SSR and buying all BLT. We really liked SSR so it made it tough, plus to sell and purchase BLT would cost us more than just buying some more BLT.

However, while plans may change we are planning on holding our contracts to the end and passing them on to our children. After being at BLT we just knew that was the place for us. While we liked SSR and would stay there again, we would always be trying to switch at 7 months. Also we knew we wanted to stay MKV sometimes as well and would not be able to do that at 7 months.

Knowing this we decided the little bit more it would cost us to sell SSR and buy BLT, in the long run was worth it. I didn't want to be sitting here in 10 years saying, I wish I owned all BLT.

My advice would be if the extra $$ BLT costs is not going to break the bank, buy where you want to stay. If the $$ is a big issue than you will be happy with SSR, and when you get BLT think of it as a bonus.

 

[cchron]

We typically travel to WDW in October and thought that since this is not peak we would be able to switch at 7 months and try other resorts. I'm finding that is not the case. Although October may be off peak for WDW in general, it is a very busy time for DVC due to the F&W festival.

I would not count on switching at 7 months in October. Not to say that it can't happen, just don't count on it.

 

[JWG]

I would say given your travel times, October and March could be tough. You're battleing F&W/MNSSHP and Spring Break.

You may be able to get Lakeview, but I would say probably not Standard View and Magic Kingdom view could be tough.

Buy where you're ok staying. Especially if you'll travel in peak times or peak DVC times (which does include October).

 

[Pakey]

January, March and October are all busy months for DVC. January is low points month, March is spring break, October is F&W.

This year, I was unable to get even 2 days at BLT at 7 months (I own at BCV) for October.

My experience has been that sometimes you get in at 7 months at non-home resort locations and sometimes you do not. BLT may get easier as the newness wears off; right now even us veterans are wanting to try it since it's the newest resort.

I would not buy at a place I was unhappy staying, even with a good deal. Will you be okay staying 2/3 of the time at SSR if that's all you can get (although it's pretty easy to get OKW and AKV at 7 months too).

 

[disneynutz]

We are close on purchasing our first DVC, but are having a hard time picking our home resort. We really like BLT, but the savings on purchasing at SSR are hard to pass up. If we purchase SSR is it possible to get into BLT at 7 months? We typically travel in October, January, and March and would need a 2 BR villa. Any advice would be great…. Thanks

One possible risk would be if Disney changed the booking rules. I read recently that years ago they required that members stay at their home resort every other stay. I can see them requiring that again to balance the resort occupancy.

Bill

 

[Deb & Bill]

When you say January, if you mean around marathon time, it gets harder to book. Lots of members are runners so they like to be there for the marathon.

 

[crisi]

I would not buy at a place I was unhappy staying, even with a good deal. Will you be okay staying 2/3 of the time at SSR if that's all you can get (although it's pretty easy to get OKW and AKV at 7 months too).

Buy where you won't be disappointed to end up. Or, if you have your heart set on something, and can book more than seven months out, buy there.

So, jmb, how important IS BLT to you? Would you be crushed if at seven months you end up at SSR, or OKW, or VAKL? Are you the type of person who can wait until seven months out and see where the chips fall, or are you the kind on person who starts dreaming two years before the trip and if things don't happen as planned, its a crushing blow?

Also, how much is the money worth to you? For some people, the difference between SSR and BLT is really not a significant dent in their budgets. Its worth that - or more - to ensure what they want. For others, it would mean a sacrifice to make up the difference, and in the end, it just isn't a guarantee they find affordable.

 

[Sandisw]

We went through the same thought process and in the end, went with BLT. We knew ahead of time that if we could not get BLT for our trips, we would be disappointed.

We felt it was better to spend $18,000 on something we loved than $13,000 for something we weren't even sure we would like. And, if you took that extra and even divided it over the next 10 years, that puts me as spending an extra $500 per year to own at the resort I wanted...over the long run, that is really not that much. Plus, I plan to use the contract much longer than 10 years so in reality, I did not pay that much more per year to own BLT.

I am so glad too as I could not even imagine having to wait until the 7 month mark to book at BLT, knowing I wanted to stay there. This year, we did trade out our first two nights to BWV because we lucked out and got a BW view room at 7 months. However, had it not happened, we would have been okay just staying at BLT.

If BLT is where you want to be most of the time, spend the extra money and be happy.

 

[laura-k]

We felt it was better to spend $18,000 on something we loved than $13,000 for something we weren't even sure we would like. And,
If BLT is where you want to be most of the time, spend the extra money and be happy.

This is exactly how we felt ,and after that 1st night walking back from the MK ,
I knew we made the right choice !

 

[Sandisw]

This is exactly how we felt ,and after that 1st night walking back from the MK ,
I knew we made the right choice !

Nothing beats that walk for me!!!!

 

[dbs1228]

Nothing beats that walk for me!!!!

Agreed!!!! We too are glad we bought BLT. We knew we needed at least 320 points and did not know enough (did not expect to buy really) and our guide talked us into 2 contracts 1 at BLT and 1 at VGC.(BLT was 112.00 at the time and VGC was 97.00pp) A few months later we added on another 125 BLT because we want the 11 month window and they were offering better incentives!

We started using our VGC points as our "extra vacation or night points" and really thought that was a lot to spend on a home resort that we may go to every 4 years or so (we were told no problem at 7 months to use those points blah blah). When they announced the 3/20 deadline we decided to try to sell the VGC and got VERY lucky to sell them for 95.00pp! This was the best decision we made.

We are now adding on to SSR for our extra vacations/nights at 59.00 pp (and a smaller contract). I am happy to say I secured 7 nights at the THV over Feb. break then doing a split stay with 4 nights at BLT 2 bedroom! Once I get new SSR points and 7 month window opens I want to try for another resort (want to try them all) and bank my BLT points for a GV at BLT in 2013 for my 25th wedding anniversary, 1 DD graduating college, youngest DD graduating HS a lot to celebrate and having a bunch of BLT points will be heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[3girlsfun]

We started out with the same line of thinking, but, we are in the process of buying resale at OKW because after researching it a bit more, I think I will love OKW. We are looking forward to booking some of the boardwalk villas and BLT at times, but, I think those will be at different ages of our children. For example, BLT will be more important as my kids are younger, and the stroller is still an issue. I can see the Boardwalk area resorts as appealing as my kids get older and want to venture out a bit on their own. AKV for until my ODD tires of the animals. But, for the long haul, a condo type atmosphere, with bigger rooms, and a beachy theme for us sounds like heaven!

 

[dbs1228]

AKV for until my ODD tires of the animals. But, for the long haul, a condo type atmosphere, with bigger rooms, and a beachy theme for us sounds like heaven!

What they tire of the animals, my 15 year old DD thought the 1 night we spent at AKV was the coolest and cannot wait to go back! I feel the same way. Love them all for different reasons, but the location of BLT for us is key!

 

[Kidanifan08]

We are close on purchasing our first DVC, but are having a hard time picking our home resort. We really like BLT, but the savings on purchasing at SSR are hard to pass up. If we purchase SSR is it possible to get into BLT at 7 months? We typically travel in October, January, and March and would need a 2 BR villa. Any advice would be great…. Thanks

Where do you want to be when you travel to Disney over the next 40-50 years? This is the question that we all need to ask b4 signing the contract. It is a nearly impossible question to answer. Most of us have had a past experience where we made a purchase because we wanted to get a great deal, but we look back wishing we did something different. If BLT is what is visiting Disney should be in your heart and mind, then you should buy there. As opposed to the other resorts, the resale value should always be good, in case you decide you made a huge financial mistake. You will virtually always be able to get into SSR at 7 months (or less) if you want to, which is probably true of my "home" AKV and OKW. This is not the case for BLT. Spend the $$ now so you don't regret your decision, if BLT is what you really desire.

 

[amypetecar]

Literally today i booked 3 days at BLT with a MK view room for January 2012. It was an amazing feeling that it took only a 5 minute phone call with MS to book a room at a hotel that I have dreamed about staying at since I was a child. the best part was that it was already paid for!

I bought into DVC last year and struggled between BLT from disney or SSR resale. Yes, it cost me more money for less points at BLT but knowing that I could stay at a monorail resort any and every time I went to Disney was well worth the difference.

Emotion aside, think about it from a real estate perspective. Location is your best asset. There will ALWAYS be a strong demand to rent points or sell on resale for a monorail resort even if you can't or choose not to use all of your points.

 

[Greatfalls]

Just to confuse things, I'll give my experience, which is in favor of going for SSR. I have been an SSR owner since '05 with a 50 point add-on at AKV. I've had about 10 stays since then and only once at SSR. Otherwise, I've stayed at BCV several times, VWL twice, BWW and AKV. I have never had any problems getting a 7-month reservation at my first choice. So, here are some considerations from my experience. First, I generally go on non-peak times, and will probably never go the week before Easter and the week after Christmas, so availabily is better when I go. If you plan to go during low to mid seasons (particularly January), then you'll be able to get your choice of resorts. Also, somebody said availability is limited during Food and Wine, but I suspect that's mainly for BCV and BWW due to their proximity to Epcot. Second, I always get 2 Brs because my kids like having their own room. My sense is that 2 Brs are the last to go because of the high points. Third, I am not tied to one resort and love mixing things up. If BLT is your be-all and end-all and you would be dissappointed any time you're not there, then that should be your home resort. However, if you think you would like more variety (particularly as the years go by), then SSR may be the way to go to save some money. Fourth, I admit that SSR will probably never be my first pick (except the THV trip I have upcoming), but as many times as DVC has enabled us to go, I would be happy to stay at SSR again if other resorts are unavailable.

 

[chalee94]

My sense is that 2 Brs are the last to go because of the high points.

generally 1BRs are the last to go since they are double the pts of a studio but with about the same occupancy limits. but that can vary.

...I would be happy to stay at SSR again if other resorts are unavailable.

this is key.