How many of you chose a home resort without having ever been there?

[Meggysmum]

We had visited WDW 5 times in 7 years butr always stayed off-site (although always in deluxe style accomodation).

I happened to read about DVC on a website and immediately became intersted and after playing with the figures we decided that we would buy 160pts outright at AK direct with Disney. I had never set foor in any resort hotel up to this point.

We took the tour but our guide suggested we took his card, visited Kidani and BLT and then call him back. Hubby fancied BLT but I was desperate for AK and would have signed on the dotted line if my husband hadn't stopped me.

Two hours later we drove into Kidani and I hated it on sight. We got out and walked around the pools, the reception and outside near the Savanna but I just didn't like it. I couldn't put my finger on what I disliked but my heart wasn't in it.

An hour later we rrived at BLT. Amazed to find that I loved it and the location near to MK (my favourite park) was fantsatic. The next day we became DVC owevers and haven't regretted it. For once in our marriage my husband was actually right!

I am sure I would have been OK staying at AK but knowing that BLT is my home always makes me smile.

 

[Tink415]

We bought a small OKW resale without having ever stayed at or visited OKW back in 2006. It was an easy enough decision, as we had been vacationing at WDW for many years, had seen many pictures, and kind of knew what to expect. It also helped ease any qualms that the resale cost was about equal to what a weeks vacation would cost at a deluxe with no discounts. Since then we've stayed at OKW once. I don't love it, and in fact we had a unit with a horrible view during our stay, but it would be fine if OKW was the only place we could stay. Its a nice resort and those rooms are big! If I was buying direct from Disney at full price, and had never visited where I was going to buy, most likely I would have to check it out ahead of time and love what I was buying.

 

[rock_doctor]

When we did the tour with our now gone guide we payed attention to the AKV mockup rooms only, never even looking at the BLT rooms but after a month of thought we bought at BLT. Did not even know what the rooms looked like, if it wasn't for videos posted by owners on Ytube it would have completely sight unseen... The funny part we have no interest what so ever to stay any place else and after the initial direct buy in we have done two additional resale purchases. My suggestion, decide which park is your favorite and buy near by. We have been going since Dec of 1971 so we will always associate WDW with the MK. Good luck and enjoy the purchase. We have never regretted any of ours even once.

 

[ILuvTigger]

We bought 1 contract at AKV site unseen (never stayed at a Disney resort before then). Saw photo's, the theme was perfect for us. After a few vacations, we added on at AKV. We are very happy with that decision. Good luck!

 

[MickeyFan612]

I purchased SSR having never been there and have no regrets. When I visited WDW last Spring I did make a point to visit all the resorts but only walked grounds and did drive bys. I was a little disappointed about how large and spread out SSR was, I had no idea when I purchased but the pool is quite impressive there and when I saw how close to Downtown Disney it was I realized SSR had just as many pros as cons. I'm looking forward to enjoying trips there when my kids get a little older, but for now if I'm able to book at my 7 month window at blt I'm going to choose it. With a 2 and 6 year old the closer you can get to Magic Kingdom the better. As my kids age I plan to visit them all

 

[eMoneyBug]

I'm taking the plunge as well at SSR for the value. 365 points @$47 with full 2011 banked. I've never been to SSR. I've only been to WDW twice and we stayed at the disney all star value 1st trip then this past trip I stayed at the dolphin using points I earned travelling for work. I have walked the grounds of AKV and BWV and BLT before, but never seen the inside of the rooms in person. I have stayed at Grand CA before about 5times and love it there.

I hope to use my points for Aulani, special occasion weekends at Grand CA, and when we do goto WDW, probably try to stay at 2 different DVC just to try them out.

For example, this summer's trip to Maui included 2 nights sleeping in the mini van at the National Park, but also included 5 nights at the Westin Villas in a 1 bedroom, so to me staying at any DVC property is going to be nice.

I consulted my kids 9 girl & 12 boy and they browsed the brochure and I had them rank each DVC on where they wanted to stay. SSR ranked in the middle and AKV ranked a tad higher on their list, so since learning on these boards that those 2 resorts are great value purchases, I jumped in!

I'm also the guy that bought a Toyota Prius in 2005 without test driving or ever being in one before purely for the car pool lane sticker offered here in Cali. Now that the govenator has not renewed the car pool lane sticker for hybrids, I've traded it in this year.

...Sometimes your gut just tells you things will be great and even if you're wrong you won't know for awhile

 

[aclov]

I bought Boardwalk unseen in 1999. I did ask alot of questions and did research on these boards, TUG and just internet search.

 

[disneynutz]

Experience is the best teacher.

You can tour the models, look at pictures, visit the internet, but staying at a resort is IMO the only way to truly find out which is your favorite resort.

A long hallway to someone else may be no big deal to you when you walk it.

Seeing animals at AKV may be a big deal to some but to others, a few animals gets old pretty fast and a resort with dark wood tones and decor can be depressing to some people.

Being at any Disney resort makes some people very happy, others are looking for somewhere that matches their personal taste.

Some want a certain view from the room, others could look at a wall and be happy.

Some spend the majority of their vacation time at their resort, others in the parks.

And the hardest thing to plan for is that your tastes will probably change as you get older and/or spend more time at Disney.

Bill

 

[dvcterry]

bought preconstruction BCV & had never stayed on site anywhere before. had no idea what add-ons would look like either, just told guide to send papers.

 

[Disneypapa]

I purchased a resale contract in 2002 at OKW without having ever stayed at any of the DVC accommodations.

I did have my adult son go on one of the tours while his family was vacationing to get an idea of the quality of the product, etc.

 

[caesr]

I bought at BWV when it first opened sight unseen and have since added two contracts at VWL. We usually go to Disney 2-3 times a year for various reasons (marathon, f&w, or just plain old fun!) i have actually only stayed in my home resort about 3 times each. Because of my work schedule I can never plan a vacation as far as 11 months or even the seven month window. I'm usually calling member services 1 month out, maybe 2 if I'm lucky. I've been able to snag a grand villa at BLT for Halloween last year and just last week booked a 2 bedroom for new years at BCV. I do understand that it has been a problem for people to get reservations on short notice but for me that has never been an issue. And there was only one instance where i was not able to actually stay at the resort i wanted to stay at for that particular trip. I also LOVE staying at the different resorts. It's part of the fun for me and my family. Something different and unique each time we visit WDW but still feels like "home".
If you are buying sight unseen I would definitely do as much research as possible and probably choose based on location. But it's far from the end of the world should you like another resort better after you have tried it. For me, staying at all the different DVC resorts has made our trips extra magical!

 

[CRobin]

My wife and I got our seats split up on a return flight from a BC vacation. The guy next to me had on a DVC polo shirt. After 2 hours of discussion with him and a few weeks researching resales, we bought sight unseen at OKW, and had our first trip there 2 months later. Never a regret, and since then have purchased 2 BWV resale contracts.

 

[disneyfan2kids]

And couldn't be happier.

1.) We've still stayed at BWV, OKW, and VWL. (Despite many stating that you should assume you will most likely be at your home resort... we've never had trouble staying elsewhere... although we don't often travel at high capacity times, so YMMV with this.)

2.) We actually love SSR. The proximity to DTD gives it a "leg up" for us in many cases.

Good Luck! You won't be sorry

 

[PhillyCPA]

We just bought at AKV sight unseen. I've read all the pros and cons, and the cons for many just don't seem to be something that would bother us. We both really love animals and quiet time so it just seemed like the right place.

Headed down to Disney on Friday for the weekend and staying off property (Sea World this trip with an impromptu MNSSHP). I think we will probably head to AKL one night and do dinner to check out our new home

 

[DougEMG]

I'm taking the plunge as well at SSR for the value. 365 points @$47 with full 2011 banked.

That's a great deal on SSR.

 

[supersuperwendy]

We bought AKV without ever seeing it in person. The point chart sold me! The ability to book value through concierge was the best selling point for me!

 

[bighoo93]

We are in the process of buying an SSR resale and have only seen the resort at the DVC office. We don't really care which resort we stay at. We want to try several of them anyway. We stayed at OKW on rental and loved it. Worst case scenario is that we get "stuck" at OKW again sometime. That is isn't so bad. Disney trips are a luxury for us. Any of the resorts feel like a pampered stay to us. SSR at the moment just makes way too much sense financially. 2054 expiration, cheap price per point, and relatively low annual dues make it pretty clearly the choice for us. I expect to stay there on our next visit, but if we hate it I won't regret the purchase. We'll just stay somewhere else. Should I be worried that every single other resort will be sold out in September at 7 months in advance? Seems unlikely to me.

 

[DannysMom]

We are in the process of buying an SSR resale and have only seen the resort at the DVC office. We don't really care which resort we stay at. We want to try several of them anyway. We stayed at OKW on rental and loved it. Worst case scenario is that we get "stuck" at OKW again sometime. That is isn't so bad. Disney trips are a luxury for us. Any of the resorts feel like a pampered stay to us. SSR at the moment just makes way too much sense financially. 2054 expiration, cheap price per point, and relatively low annual dues make it pretty clearly the choice for us. I expect to stay there on our next visit, but if we hate it I won't regret the purchase. We'll just stay somewhere else. Should I be worried that every single other resort will be sold out in September at 7 months in advance? Seems unlikely to me.

September, I think you are pretty good for being able to stay at any of several different resorts at 7 months out. If you wanted to travel in October, November or December, you should be happy staying at your home resort!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards App, please excuse any typos.

 

[disneynutz]

We are in the process of buying an SSR resale and have only seen the resort at the DVC office. We don't really care which resort we stay at. We want to try several of them anyway. We stayed at OKW on rental and loved it. Worst case scenario is that we get "stuck" at OKW again sometime. That is isn't so bad. Disney trips are a luxury for us. Any of the resorts feel like a pampered stay to us. SSR at the moment just makes way too much sense financially. 2054 expiration, cheap price per point, and relatively low annual dues make it pretty clearly the choice for us. I expect to stay there on our next visit, but if we hate it I won't regret the purchase. We'll just stay somewhere else. Should I be worried that every single other resort will be sold out in September at 7 months in advance? Seems unlikely to me.

The more you vacation at WDW, the more you will decide which resorts are your favorite. After around 12 stays we knew that BWV, Boardwalk view was our home and we have stayed at every resort, every view. If we didn't own there getting our room at 7 months could be a challenge. We have seen the 7th month competition increase each year as new members are added to the system. HH, VB, and now Aulani owners love to stay at WDW.

WDW has changed a lot since we first starting going there. Between 2003 and 2006 DVC gained 270,000 members so who knows what can happen in the future.

Bill

 

[cpfd910]

closed on SSR in july 336 points to use from 2010 and banked 2011 at 60 days out booked 2 bedroom at AKV Kidani for Sept 13th 5 nights and 1 bedroom at BWV feb 17th until 24th 2013 still have 144 left for 2012 use year and all 2013 and did not wait list any of those resorts will be stayng at SSR Christmas 2013 and wait list either Disneyland or Hawaii