Home resort

[Liam518]

Does it make sense to buy my points at the home resort I want to stay in the most, or buy more points at one of the less expensive resorts assuming I can get at least a one bedroom at most resorts 7 months out? Certain resorts in WDW I can get 200points for about they same as I would get 125/150 at more popular resorts. I always hear people mention they wished they bought more points the first time. So to summarize, do I go for the resort I like, or get significantly more points at another resort.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Does it make sense to buy my points at the home resort I want to stay in the most

This is really the best approach.

or buy more points at one of the less expensive resorts assuming I can get at least a one bedroom at most resorts 7 months out? Certain resorts in WDW I can get 200points for about they same as I would get 125/150 at more popular resorts.

That assumption can be variable depending on resort and time of year, even for 1BRs. I wouldn't count on that in early December, for instance. Right now, there are only a couple of 1BRs with full availability first week in December (December 1-7) and we are nowhere close to the 7 month window.

BCV and BWV 1BRs are getting harder at all seasons every year, because people who buy those points now are buying to stay there, period. They aren't buying BWV or BCV for network points to use everywhere. CCV 1BRs and (some seasons) VGF 1BRs inherit issues due to the low number of studios at each resort.

That said, if you buy a less expensive resort you are willing to stay at and won't be too sad about having to spend fall trips at that resort, it can work. And, for the record, there's nothing wrong with Saratoga. It's pretty nice. I wouldn't buy HHI, Aulani or VB points and hope to get in at 7 months in fall.

 

[lovin'fl]

That was the question we had when we first bought in 2006. And we went for the more points for our $ and got 200 OKW. Now that has turned out to be one of our least fave resorts (with SSR and Poly) at WDW. But we have used them for every east coast DVC except VGF (haven't yet tried for VGF). Though it has been getting harder to get things at 7 months and especially can't get studios. We did add on at HHI for summer bookings there and BWV for F&W bookings there and CCV for Dec bookings there. So now I would suggest buying where you want to stay. Especially if you want studios.

 

[disneynutz]

That depends, do you care where you stay? If you do, buy there if you want to be happy.

Bill

 

[MickeyTrooper]

I wish I had the money printing machines that some of our members had!!! Wow.. always astonished at how may contracts and points people have.
My advice... spend what you don't have to borrow and buy what you can afford. In the end the system is set up to reward the people with the most points, more than the home site... point being you can always get something even within 7 months if you have enough points.

 

[lovin'fl]

I wish I had the money printing machines that some of our members had!!! Wow.. always astonished at how may contracts and points people have.
My advice... spend what you don't have to borrow and buy what you can afford. In the end the system is set up to reward the people with the most points, more than the home site... point being you can always get something even within 7 months if you have enough points.

No money printing machine just hard hard work. Long hours, work on vacation, work on weekends and holidays, work at 4am...years ago, when we were having babies DH was working 50 hour weeks and studying for actuarial exams. Next week we go to WDW and he will work some days while there. He'll get calls while we are driving there. I'll be packing and loading the car and taking the dog to the kennel and cleaning while he's working. I'll be waiting anxiously, on Friday, for him to be done working so we can hit the road and will probably have to drive so he can take calls. Super Bowl Sunday, we were going to party and had to turn around and go back home so he could look at, tweak and send out some sort of file and then had to bring his laptop to the party. Christmas at our parents, 5.5 hours away, had to eat and run to get home that night so he could be at meeting early on the 26th. No money printer...I wish.

 

[kniquy]

Does it make sense to buy my points at the home resort I want to stay in the most, or buy more points at one of the less expensive resorts assuming I can get at least a one bedroom at most resorts 7 months out?

It really depend on how heart broken you would be not to get the resort you want. If you are flexible then buying more points at a less expensive resort (SRR is probably the best deal) is the smartest route to go. Your tactic can be to book your home resort at 11 months so that you have something and then at 7 month mark you see what is available to switch to. Going this route you need to be ok with staying at SSR because that might be where you end up. Only you know what you will be ok with. Each resort has its perks and can make for a different trip each time, so maybe you would want to stay at SSR and take in a bit more of what DS has to offer or maybe you snag BW and can walk to HS and Epcot. I think being flexible and open to new experiences will make your buy in decision a little easier.

It really all depend on when you want to travel. I have been tracking 7 month availability which started looking at April 2019. Through out the summer you will typically find 1 BR at most resorts. Now that my tracking is looking at September 2019- getting into the height of the fall frenzy, studio availability is limited to AK, SSR and OKW, but 1 BR are readily available at most of the resorts. So time of year and room size makes availability change significantly.

Many people wished they bought more points (i'm one of them so i am looking to add on elsewhere), but also know that those extra points will also cost more in extra MF each year. Definitely factor that into what you can afford.

 

[MickeyTrooper]

No money printing machine just hard hard work. Long hours, work on vacation, work on weekends and holidays, work at 4am...years ago, when we were having babies DH was working 50 hour weeks and studying for actuarial exams. Next week we go to WDW and he will work some days while there. He'll get calls while we are diving there. I'll be packing and loading the car and taking the dog to the kennel and cleaning while he's working. I'll be waiting anxiously, on Friday, for him to be done working so we can hit the road and will probably have to drive so he can take calls. Super Bowl Sunday, we were going to party and had to turn around and go back home so he could look at, tweak and send out some sort of file and then had to bring his laptop to the party. Christmas at our parents, 5.5 hours away, had to eat and run to get home that night so he could be at meeting early on the 26th. No money printer...I wish.

Just a joke... why so serious... I think it's a given everyone works hard... don't they?

 

[chainkid]

Here is my two cents for what its worth. I bought points in several different contracts to get to my current 800. I originally bought direct BW and Direct Hilton Head . Later I sold HH and bought AKL. I bought several resale as well. After staying at most of the resorts for short stays, I felt that it was better to have all my points at one resort then spread out among many. Much more options when same use year and resort. I love the BW and decided It would always be my first choice if going on extended vacation with family. I have used points to stay at Aulani @ 7 month window . I have a flexible vacation schedule so I basically look for where I want to stay and choose my dates based on availability. This is much easier when your points are under one member/contract # . If you only want a studio and want to bank borrow to use them , then I could see having the multiple resorts contracts would give 11 month advantage and more places BUT you do not have flexibility to change size of unit . So if you are happy always renting a studio and never need a two bedroom then its a valid choice but our families grow and after multiple trips to the world as a couple I learned to be bored out of my skull. I need family and friends to share the magic or its not the same. Short trips work in a studio but not 12 days. Grandchildren come along and want to bring their friends and with all points under one membership # its easy to plan multiple rooms at 11 months and not face the waitlist. I have never been successful with it . Walking is easier with more points in same use year at same resort. Things to think about.

 

[sndral]

As DVC adds more resorts and sells more smaller contracts the demand for studios has gone up, a few years ago, when I was buying my first contract I went against conventional wisdom at the time - which was to buy at SSR for the low price and low MFs - and use those points to sleep around. I think that it has gotten much harder to switch at 7 months, especially into the most popular resorts. Also keep in mind that w/ Riviera DVC is trying something new with who can book there and where Riviera owners can book, so it’s hard to predict how that change and other potential changes which DVC has not yet announced could impact 7 month availability. In the current climate I’d lean towards buying where I wanted to stay.
Generally the smaller the resort the harder it is to get, thus BCV is harder to get than BWV, and resale prices tend to mirror that w/ VGF, the smallest WDW DVC resort, being the most expensive WDW DVC, and SSR, the largest, being the least expensive. AKV, which is one of my home resorts, is a bit of an oddity as the larger Kidani is much easier to get than the smaller Jambo.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Does it make sense to buy my points at the home resort I want to stay in the most, or buy more points at one of the less expensive resorts assuming I can get at least a one bedroom at most resorts 7 months out? Certain resorts in WDW I can get 200points for about they same as I would get 125/150 at more popular resorts. I always hear people mention they wished they bought more points the first time. So to summarize, do I go for the resort I like, or get significantly more points at another resort.

I think there's still some opportunity to do this with 1BR's but depends on the time of year you plan to usually travel. At the very least though I'd buy where I wouldn't mind staying. And where you really want to get in to stay as well as your expectations of rooms you'll have the good opportunity for should be realistic to be satisfied with this approach. Standard views are less expensive and popular so I'd not count on those anywhere. You can get them but shouldn't count on them IMO. If it's fall bookings? The Epcot resorts are nice if you can get them but I wouldn't count on them. MK resorts maybe but the last quarter of the year it gets more and more difficult to change - although not impossible. Race weekends or holidays? Also more difficult. Summer? That's easier. And some other times of the year you'd have good opportunities.

 

[NickBCV]

I say spend where you want to stay. We are VGF resort owners and we just got back from WDW. We had to fly down a day early due to upcoming snow storm and all Disney had left was a 1BDRM at OKW. While it was fine for a nights sleep I would not want to stay there for a longer trip. Just my preference but we have been spoiled by VGF and are so glad our points are there.

 

[holden]

You can't go wrong if you buy where you like to stay. Rent points first to try out different resorts.

 

[skippytx]

Does it make sense to buy my points at the home resort I want to stay in the most, or buy more points at one of the less expensive resorts assuming I can get at least a one bedroom at most resorts 7 months out? Certain resorts in WDW I can get 200points for about they same as I would get 125/150 at more popular resorts. I always hear people mention they wished they bought more points the first time. So to summarize, do I go for the resort I like, or get significantly more points at another resort.

It depends on a bunch of factors, one of them being when you like to travel and what resorts you really want to stay at. I personally really wanted to own at BLT, so I paid the extra for the BLT points. The dues are roughly the same at BLT as SSR, so aside from the initial extra cost per point the ongoing costs are similar.

Now why I spent the extra on where I wanted to stay

1- We tend to travel during busy times around the kids school schedule. The 11 month booking priority is important when trying to visit during Texas Spring Break, or Winter holidays. Also the only way you have a shot at the standard point rooms at BLT.
2 - I really would have been disappointed if we didn't get to stay at BLT on our trips. I like the resort and the location and "settling" for somewhere else would have just made me cranky. Over the years when I've settled with things to save money I've almost always regretted it. I didn't want to regret spending this much money on something.


If you travel during off times (for DVC, remember DVC has different busy times than the parks), and won't be heartbroken if you don't stay somewhere, it's a viable option. There are lots of people who buy points to "sleep around". It is getting harder though as DVC grows and more and more people are competing for some of the same resources.

 

[chainkid]

Best advice I was ever given and can pass on. Buy where you want to stay 90% of the time and you will never be unhappy. Over 20 years of ownership it has been a constant that keeps me enjoying my membership. I love the BW much more than anywhere else and always try to book there first except for last minute getaways where I take what's open. If you have to buy airfare who wants to be unsure of getting the room of your choice. I don't. I want it settled and will do what ever I have to secure exactly what I want or die trying. I do not do waitlists as they are too iffy and I like my trip nailed down immediately. The more points you have at one resort, the more flexibility you have to get the scarce rooms at 11month window.