How to choose home resort?

[Daisy Duke]

Hi everyone. My husband and I are thinking about purchasing a DVC resale. First, we are trying to figure out how many points we need, which is overwhelming on it's own. But then I'm confused about how to decide which resale contract to pursue - if we want 100 points, how to I pick whether we want 100 points at AKV or BLT or somewhere else? So, I have two conflicting thoughts on how to resolve this: 1) buy from my favorite DVC resort, or 2) buy the cheapest price per point I can get.

I guess my question is, why not buy the cheapest price per point? I understand you can make reservations earlier at your home resort, but is there something else that I'm missing? I understand the point price changes among the resorts, but 100 pts with a home of SSR is 100 that can be used at any DVC resort, right? Can you share how you decided on your home resort?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks in advance for your insight and advice.

ETA: Also, I'm not even considering use year information - I'm still confused on what this means and the corresponding implications, so I need to do more research on this. Also, FWIW, we are not rushing to make an offer. In fact, we are moving next spring, so we won't be pursuing anything until after we move and are done selling our current house and getting a mortgage for a new house. We are just trying to figure out what we want so that we can start looking in earnest next summer.

 

[DebbieB]

Hi everyone. My husband and I are thinking about purchasing a DVC resale. First, we are trying to figure out how many points we need, which is overwhelming on it's own. But then I'm confused about how to decide which resale contract to pursue - if we want 100 points, how to I pick whether we want 100 points at AKV or BLT or somewhere else? So, I have two conflicting thoughts on how to resolve this: 1) buy from my favorite DVC resort, or 2) buy the cheapest price per point I can get.

I guess my question is, why not buy the cheapest price per point? I understand you can make reservations earlier at your home resort, but is there something else that I'm missing? I understand the point price changes among the resorts, but 100 pts with a home of SSR is 100 that can be used at any DVC resort, right? Can you share how you decided on your home resort?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks in advance for your insight and advice.

ETA: Also, I'm not even considering use year information - I'm still confused on what this means and the corresponding implications, so I need to do more research on this. Also, FWIW, we are not rushing to make an offer. In fact, we are moving next spring, so we won't be pursuing anything until after we move and are done selling our current house and getting a mortgage for a new house. We are just trying to figure out what we want so that we can start looking in earnest next summer.

There are other considerations. The older resorts expire in 2042, where newer ones expire between 2054 and 2061. Annual dues are different at each resort, ranging from $3.89 per point to $6.78.

DVC has the right to limit you to only your home resort. Although unlikely, if that would happen in the future, would you be happy with that resort?

When I bought, the only choices at WDW were OKW and BWV. I liked both but it's harder to get a reservation at BWV, so I bought there for the 11 month advantage. 12 years later, no regrets.

Check out the DVC Resource thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2532406

 

[Kidanifan08]

Home resort priority is most important during busy times of the year for DVC. So, if you always want to go during the Epcot F&W and stay at BCV or BWV, then you need to own there, because it is almost impossible to get one of those resorts at 7 months without getting lucky with a waitlist. If you want VWL at Christmas, you should own there for the same reason.

If you don't care where you stay any time of the year, then buying the resort with the lowest cost would work for you. Keep in mind that some of the price difference is due to the fact that the resorts have different expiration dates. See the DVC resource center at the top of the Purchasing page for more details.

For many DVC owners, the choice of home resort is a personal issue. We own at AKV. We bought direct initially, and all that was selling was BLT and AKV. We liked both, but AKV just felt right to us. We are very happy with our choice, even after a recent stay at BLT. AKV as a home resort offers the widest range of room types (see points charts) and AKV and BLT have 2 full bathrooms in the 1BR and 3 full baths in the 2BR, which is a huge issue if traveling with a large group. The 2BR's at those resorts sleep 9, which is important for some.

During the less busy DVC times of the year, it is relatively easy to get into OKW, SSR, AKV and even BWV and BLT at the 7 month mark. BCV is a little more difficult since it is small. The rooms that go for the lowest points at the various resorts most often get booked up by owners before the 7 month window, so if there is a resort where you want the standard or value rooms, you really need to own there.

There is alot to learn on these boards and you will get a great deal of really good advice. If you have never stayed at a DVC resort, you really need to see the villas before buying to know what you are getting into. Remember that although buying in with a small contract at the lowest cost per point may seem like a great savings, owning DVC is a long term commitment to annual dues (which go up every year), park tickets, flights, meals, souvenirs, etc., which ultimately becomes the biggest expense of owning DVC. So, you really want to know that the resort that is your home resort is a place that you want to be, as you may not have other choices at times.

Good luck researching the topic.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It can be difficult to book a non-home resort some times of the year. So you want to have a home resort that you wouldn't mind staying at if that was what you were able to get at 11 months out and couldn't change at 7 months out. Some villa categories are difficult to get without home resort advantage - BLT standard or theme park view, BWV standard view, BCV dedicated two bedroom with two queens in the second bedroom, THV at SSR, any GV, Beach House at VB.

The busy times at DVC aren't always the same as the busy times at WDW. Early Dec at DVC is extremely hard to get a non-home stay. Oct is hard to get an Epcot Resort if you don't own there.

 

[disneynutz]

Hi everyone. My husband and I are thinking about purchasing a DVC resale. First, we are trying to figure out how many points we need, which is overwhelming on it's own. But then I'm confused about how to decide which resale contract to pursue - if we want 100 points, how to I pick whether we want 100 points at AKV or BLT or somewhere else? So, I have two conflicting thoughts on how to resolve this: 1) buy from my favorite DVC resort, or 2) buy the cheapest price per point I can get.

I guess my question is, why not buy the cheapest price per point? I understand you can make reservations earlier at your home resort, but is there something else that I'm missing? I understand the point price changes among the resorts, but 100 pts with a home of SSR is 100 that can be used at any DVC resort, right? Can you share how you decided on your home resort?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks in advance for your insight and advice.

ETA: Also, I'm not even considering use year information - I'm still confused on what this means and the corresponding implications, so I need to do more research on this. Also, FWIW, we are not rushing to make an offer. In fact, we are moving next spring, so we won't be pursuing anything until after we move and are done selling our current house and getting a mortgage for a new house. We are just trying to figure out what we want so that we can start looking in earnest next summer.

You are buying a vacation home. If you don't care what the home looks like, buy the cheapest. If you do care, I would go and check out the homes before you buy. Once you know which home and size you want, you can figure out how many points you will need to stay there.

Bill

 

[Dean]

Hi everyone. My husband and I are thinking about purchasing a DVC resale. First, we are trying to figure out how many points we need, which is overwhelming on it's own. But then I'm confused about how to decide which resale contract to pursue - if we want 100 points, how to I pick whether we want 100 points at AKV or BLT or somewhere else? So, I have two conflicting thoughts on how to resolve this: 1) buy from my favorite DVC resort, or 2) buy the cheapest price per point I can get.

I guess my question is, why not buy the cheapest price per point? I understand you can make reservations earlier at your home resort, but is there something else that I'm missing? I understand the point price changes among the resorts, but 100 pts with a home of SSR is 100 that can be used at any DVC resort, right? Can you share how you decided on your home resort?

Sorry for all the questions. Thanks in advance for your insight and advice.

ETA: Also, I'm not even considering use year information - I'm still confused on what this means and the corresponding implications, so I need to do more research on this. Also, FWIW, we are not rushing to make an offer. In fact, we are moving next spring, so we won't be pursuing anything until after we move and are done selling our current house and getting a mortgage for a new house. We are just trying to figure out what we want so that we can start looking in earnest next summer.

There are many nuances to this questions but in general you should buy the cheapest resort that you are comfortable staying at most stays. It only makes sense to buy at BLT if you want most stays there. While the dues are lower for BLT, you'll never make up the difference compared to purchase price comparing to say SSR or OKW extended which seem to be the best $$$ values currently. Plus it's unlikely the difference in dues between BLT and the other WDW resorts will remain as large as it is now. OTOH, I would not buy VB or HH for the purposes of WDW stays. You won't have an 11 month reservation option the the higher dues will erode much of your savings if not all of it over time.

 

[kristenrice]

You've gotten great advice here. One thing I would add is not to look at the points charts with any particular home resort in mind. Don't think, "Oh, look, I can book an AKV value studio for only xx points so I will buy xx points at SSR since they're a better value." Same with standard view at BLT and BWV....their low point requirements and small quantity make them very difficult to get without the home resort advantage. On a similar note, the MK views at BLT, BW views at BWV and concierge rooms at AKV are also very difficult to secure simply because there are so few of them. (Oddly, the savanna views at AKV make up about 75% of the rooms, give or take, making them one of the easiest to get at AKV.)

Also, keep in mind that the lower point seasons on the DVC chart do NOT correlate to a "slow" season. Many new owners have posted their disappointment in not being able to get a reservation at 7 months out for the beginning of December or the middle of January.

When I first thought about buying, I remember thinking, "I'll be at Disney World....I don't care *where* I stay". While I would still be happy anywhere at WDW, if I were ever forced to stay only at my home resort, I would be 100% happy at AKV. We only bought 100 points so the value category at AKV is a great point-stretcher. We would have to get lucky repeatedly to snag the value category (over Spring Break!) if we did not own there. I have been lucky enough to get a 1BR at HHI in April, a LV studio at BLT in October and a standard 1BR at BWV in October, all at 7 months. I plan on staying at BWV, OKW and BCV yet too, but if I can't get in at 7 months, oh well...AKV is a great place to be stuck.

 

[backyardponder]

You are about to make a big investment, not only in the initial purchase but in the annual fees. My suggestion to everybody in your situation is to make a trip to WDW, rent a car, and visit each of the DVC resorts. You can stay at a value or moderate resort if you want to stay on property. Since you have a car, you can also easily stay off property.

When you get to the guard shack for each resort, just tell them you are thinking of buying DVC and wanted to walk around the resort. They will let you in with a big smile on their faces.

Stop at the front desk of each resort and ask for a map. Also ask for a suggested route to wander around.

You can probably visit 3 resorts per day.

Finally, remember that that folks have different opinions on why a resort is their favorite for different reasons (mine is BWV since I can walk to Epcot and DHS and the 2042 expiration doesn't bother me). You really need to visit to see what your favorite is.

Good Luck!

John

 

[JDaWALT]

This has been a very interesting thread, as I am in the early stages of trying to decide on a home resort myself. I recently was at WDW and went through the DVC tour and talk with a guide, to go so far as putting down a deposit. Fortunately, I decided to really do my research and after finding this board, was able to get it refunded. Now I'm looking at resales. Anyway, I hope I can add to the original questions. My basic question is can you have more than one home resort giving you the 11 month reservation priority for each of them. I'm thinking of buying half my points now, and then the other half later (as my life situation changes and family grows). I've noticed many here have more than one villa they own, and I'm wondering how that works into the priority issue. Thanks a bunch!

 

[disneynutz]

This has been a very interesting thread, as I am in the early stages of trying to decide on a home resort myself. I recently was at WDW and went through the DVC tour and talk with a guide, to go so far as putting down a deposit. Fortunately, I decided to really do my research and after finding this board, was able to get it refunded. Now I'm looking at resales. Anyway, I hope I can add to the original questions. My basic question is can you have more than one home resort giving you the 11 month reservation priority for each of them. I'm thinking of buying half my points now, and then the other half later (as my life situation changes and family grows). I've noticed many here have more than one villa they own, and I'm wondering how that works into the priority issue. Thanks a bunch!

The 11 month advantage is the only reason to have more than 1 home resort. We own at 5 resorts for just that reason. I suggest that you only have one UY if possible.

Bill

 

[LisaS]

My basic question is can you have more than one home resort giving you the 11 month reservation priority for each of them. I'm thinking of buying half my points now, and then the other half later (as my life situation changes and family grows). I've noticed many here have more than one villa they own, and I'm wondering how that works into the priority issue.

You can own points at as many resorts as you like, giving you an 11-month booking window at each resort when using home resort points for your reservation. For example, if you purchase 100 points at BLT you can use those points to book BLT 11 months out. If you add on 50 points at AKV, you can use those 50 points to book AKV 11 months out. What you cannot do is use your 50 AKV points at BLT or your 100 BLT points at AKV until the 7 month window opens.

Many of us who own points at more than one resort use banking and/or borrowing to book one of our alternate resorts every other year. For example, I own 100 points at AKV. Every other year I bank my AKV points, giving me up to 200 AKV points to use in alternate years. If I need more than 200 points for my reservation I can borrow some from the next Use Year giving me up to 300 points every 3 years.

 

[kristenrice]

You can own points at as many resorts as you like, giving you an 11-month booking window at each resort when using home resort points for your reservation. For example, if you purchase 100 points at BLT you can use those points to book BLT 11 months out. If you add on 50 points at AKV, you can use those 50 points to book AKV 11 months out. What you cannot do is use your 50 AKV points at BLT or your 100 BLT points at AKV until the 7 month window opens.

Many of us who own points at more than one resort use banking and/or borrowing to book one of our alternate resorts every other year. For example, I own 100 points at AKV. Every other year I bank my AKV points, giving me up to 200 AKV points to use in alternate years. If I need more than 200 points for my reservation I can borrow some from the next Use Year giving me up to 300 points every 3 years.

This is what we do too. We have 100 AKV and 50 HHI points. We will take two trips (June and April) which use up 300 AKV points. Then, in our off year, we go to HHI and use up the 150 points. We don't always stay at AKV, but we can at least start there and change at 7 months if something we like is available.

(Well, that was the original plan...as you can tell by my signature, we've tinkered with it a bit.)

 

[DenLo]

I agree with several posts above that you should:

1. Buy at the cheapest resort that you will be happy staying at for your entire vacation--for life of the contract.
   
2. Buy enough points to cover the cost of the most plentiful view. Like at AKV it is the savanna view, at BLT it is the lake view and at BWV it is the Preferred, pool/garden view.
   
3. If you can't stay at each resort before you buy research and read everything you can about your potential home resort before you buy. E.g I would never buy at OKW simply because only three buildings have elevators. Just the thought of carry sleepy children up three flights of stairs each night after returning from the parks gives me the shivers. Now that I'm getting older I have trouble walking stairs. Or at BLT the only accommodation you can afford is a studio and it is the second smallest studio at the DVC (AKV value is smaller). But the point cost for a BLT studio is one of the highest.
   
4. Don't buy for now, buy for 10 years from now. Today you only need a studio and have to be near MK, but in 10 years will your children be teenagers, will you need a one bedroom then? Will you be able to afford to stay at your home resort? Will you have the money to buy more points?
   
5. Keep in mind that although you will have a room by purchasing a DVC membership, you still have all of the other expenses at WDW including dining, park tickets (or annual pass), souvenirs and travel to WDW.

 

[Deb & Bill]

One more thing. Don't buy enough points to continually treat family and friends. An occasional guest is good, but it's really nice to just go as an immediate family. There are a lot of stories on the DIS about "friends and family" who become ugly when they are invited on trips.

 

[dvcforme1993]

buy where you want to stay, particularly if its a smaller resort likely to book up beore seven months.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Buy where you want to stay.

 

[Sandisw]

We spent the extra money and bought in at BLT because for us, where we stay is one of the most important aspects of our trip.

I wanted to be sure, 100% sure, that I would be able to stay at BLT every summer when we visit, at least for part of our stay. The only way for me to do this was to own there so I could book at 11 months.

Being an owner has also helped me to secure SV rooms as well. Since summer is Magic season and a bit higher in points, being able to book these rooms helps to stretch my points a bit farther.

We also own BWV now because we realized we loved this location as well and plan to do split stays most summers between here and BLT. We loved the BW view room we got last year at 7 months and again, wanted to own so we could give ourselves a better shot at this without having to hope.

If where you stay is not on the top of your list and you would really be happy at some of the less expensive resorts, then that is where I would buy. However, if you would feel disappointed, then choose what will make you happy.

I am branching out with my traveling party next summer and doing our first two nights in a GV at OKW, instead of at BWV. Because there are 14 of us going, and the GV at OKW was a great point saver, we decided to try it.

I can honestly say, that as time gets closer (and we are still 9 months away), that I am already concerned I am going to miss being in the Epcot area. I'm willing to try for the sake of the group, but not sure if this will be the first and last time it happens!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Because there are 14 of us going, and the GV at OKW was a great point saver, we decided to try it.
...

You're putting 14 in a GV at OKW? They only sleep 12 plus one under the age of three.

 

[Daisy Duke]

Thanks to everyone for your advice - I really appreciate it. I think we will plan at least a couple days into our next Disney trip for checking out some of the DVC resorts we haven't yet seen in person.

 

[bnk1120]

I know everyone always says buy where you want to stay, but I have realized that really can change. For example, we bought at VWL because we wanted to have the 11 month advantage for December. Well my husband's schedule completely changed and we cannot go at that time of year.

We had toured several resorts, but it really is not the same as staying there. After staying at SSR I now really love the condo style resort where I thought I preferred hotel style. My DH thought he would hate SSR and now he wants points there.

What I am saying is, over time your preferences and vacation style can change. buy a small resale contract at a resort you would like staying at and plan to add-on.