Importance of Home Resort?

[cchron]

My husband and I are considering buying DVC and when I look at resales I can get the same # of points much cheaper at, for example, Hilton Head versus BLT. But I can use the points to stay at BLT, I just have to wait until the 7 month window for reservations. I this a big deal? We typically go to WDW in the fall, not during peak.

 

[Lynne M]

Peak times for DVC are different than for the non-DVC resorts. From the beginning of the Food and Wine Festival in late Sept through the end of the year, you may find BLT quite difficult to get at 7 months. Probably next to impossible from Thanksgiving through New Years.

Maintenance fees are different for each resort, and HH & VB have significantly higher dues than the WDW DVC resorts. Your buy-in cost may be cheaper, but over the life of the contract, you'll pay much more to own at HH.

 

[CarolMN]

My husband and I are considering buying DVC and when I look at resales I can get the same # of points much cheaper at, for example, Hilton Head versus BLT. But I can use the points to stay at BLT, I just have to wait until the 7 month window for reservations. I this a big deal? We typically go to WDW in the fall, not during peak.

Be sure to take a look at the annual dues for HHI and VB before you decide that they cheaper.

Can you or will you plan your vacations more than 7 months in advance? If not, then it doesn't matter where you buy. At 7 months, all points are equal.

Fall is not necessarily off peak for DVC. Do some reading here and see what others are reporting for 7 month availability.

Does it matter to you where you stay? If you are willing to stay at any WDW resort and call at 7 months, then home resort will not matter. If you will be disappointed / upset if your first or second choice isn't available for the time you want to visit, then it matters a lot.

If your plan is to mostly use points at WDW, you are much better off buying SSR or perhaps OKW via resale. That way, you can book something on-site before the 7 month window opens. If you can't get something else, at least you'll have a place to stay.

Keep in mind that as membership increases, there is a lot more competition at the 7 month window to get into the smaller resorts - BCV, VWL, BWV & BLT. It's already a challenge for most times of the year. If you don't call right at 7 months, there is a reasonable possibility that you will have to waitlist. SSR and OKW usually fill yup last - they are the largest WDW resorts, but even those do fill as it gets closer to arrival and for some times of the year (Christmas week), it's very difficult to get consecutive nights at the same resort at 7 months.

Good luck - spend what ever time you need to be informed. Those who buy on impulse or without doing their homework usually end up with regrets.

 

[DebbieB]

Also look at the expiration date. HH expires in 2042 (plus BWV, VWL, BCV, VB, some OKW). BLT expires in 2060.

 

[Sandisw]

I don't know if I would buy HH or VB with the sole intention of using them at WDW.

There could be benefits to buying at one of the less expensive WDW resorts resale over BLT to save money if you are okay with possibly not getting BLT for the times that you want.

SSR and OKW offer some good value as well but would give you an 11 month booking advantage onsite, something HH would not do. At least with one of these, you could book something for your travel and then at 7 months, try and change. If BLT wasn't available, then at least you would have something to fall back on.

But, I think it really comes down to how important is staying at BLT to your plans. If you really want to be there and will be disappointed if you can't get it, then I would buy there, money aside.

We went through this last year and in the end, went with BLT, for about $5000 more than buying SSR resale. Why? Because we knew we had no desire to stay at SSR. We wanted BLT because the CR has always been our favorite location. MK is our favorite park and we said we would only buy DVC when walking to/from that park was an option.

Of course, they built BLT so we bought. We figured that over the course of membership, that $5000 really doesn't amount to that much in order to ensure we are at the resort we know we love. If we want to trade out (and we have), we can, but at least if it doesn't pan out, we are still happy.

Some love to resort hop and are really fine with staying at all the DVC resorts. If this is you, then definitely consider buying at one of thoe less expensive resorts.

However, since the membership is increasing and there are more DVC resorts now, availability at 7 months will become more difficult, IMO.

Good luck!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We own at 6 DVC resorts, but one of them isn't BLT. We've stayed in a 2 bedroom dedicated over January's marathon time and thought the location was wonderful. 2 weeks ago, we went to the Members meeting at TOWL and again, we were admiring the location. We may not be fans of some of the amenities, but the views and location are tugging at my purse strings. I have a waitlist for a studio for December, for 3 nights. If we don't get that reservation, I'm very likely to buy some points there. We buy where we want to stay and yes, I want to be sure to be able to stay at BLT sometimes.

Bobbi

 

[ToddyLu]

Read the stickies on these DVC forums and then you can also get basic info from DVCNews.com. There is also a DVC Passporter that you can download for a nominal fee that is very informative, from their website. The resort didn't matter to me but I definitely was not going to buy outside of WDW. We live on the Gulf Coast and have no desire to go to VB or HH...only WDW. DH picked AKV because Home Resort was important to him. I was just tickled to own a piece of Disney. Just because it is cheaper doesn't mean it is right for you. What happens if there is a hurricane that damages HH or VB. The insurance assessment will be shared among owners and then it there is no more VB or HH, you can't use those points at WDW--because you no longer have a Home Resort. I agree that if you are staying at WDW--owning a Home Resort there is key.

DVC for us wasn't about getting the best deal or saving money--it was a way for us to afford Deluxe accommodations every year at WDW. So we spent the extra money, bought direct from Disney at AKV--because like SandiSW said it was where we wanted to stay.

 

[crisi]

Home resort determines four things....

1) Where you have a booking advantage. For some rooms and some times of year, the seven month window is very important. Fall is one of those times, but really only at certain resorts. There is usually more diverse aviailbility for longer for August than for October.

2) How much you pay in dues. BLT takes a lot of points to stay there, but dues (at least currently) are cheap, so for owners, not a bad deal. For someone paying VB dues, your cost per stay is going to be a lot higher. Dues over the cost of your contract are a big deal, pay attention.

3) When you contract expires. Some resort expire 15 years earilier than BLT. If your hair is going grey and your knees creak, you may not care. If you are still in your 20s, just getting started on a family, those years might be important to you.

4) Initial buy in amount. Some resorts are cheaper.

Of these, the last seems the most urgent now, but really the least important long term. If you are looking for a value, look for an OKW or SSR contract on site - both combine low dues with low initial purchase price, some OKW and all SSR contracts have later expirations. If the value does not weigh as heavily with you as the desire to stay in a BLT room every trip - then buy where you want to stay. A few thousand dollars when talking about the costs involved in a 30+ year committment to Disney vacationing is really a very tiny amount of the overall cost if you are going to be repeatedly disappointed.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The only guarantee that you have is to book at your home resort. If that happened, would you be happy with your home resort? Use that as your deal breaker.

 

[twinboysmom]

I can only speak of my own experiences but in my 7 years of DVC membership I have not had much luck at the 7 month window, particularly in the fall months. As has been mentioned previously, dvc and traditional peak times are not the same. If you ever plan on staying at a dvc resort in the month of December, particularly the first 2 weeks you must have the 11 month window. If you want to keep your buy in costs low then I would recommend you buy a resale with a property on WDW. If you really want to be able to stay at one particular resort then buy there, if not then buy the one that offers the best deal, usually SSR. We own at SSR, love it so it's fine if that is where we stay but do like staying other places when able. Hope this helps a little with your decision.

 

[TomD]

Here is my 2 cents

Buy where you want to stay for this reason

You will always stay where you want to so there will be no disappointments.

Great way to start a vacation

 

[Sammie]

I agree with others that suggest buying where you want to stay the most. Unless you can't book between 11-8 months due to your job or personal situation. If you are always going to book at 7 months or less, I would go for the least expensive buy in and dues.

As to the concern for HHI and Vero being removed due a a hurricane, I would not even consider that in the forumula. Any DVC resort could just as likely be damaged by fire.

Insurance would cover the cost to rebuilt or owners would be compensated financially, so either way you would have a replacement resort or money to buy in again.

The busiest DVC booking periods are usually the months with the need for the least points, early December, during food and wine etc. Basically if points are low and weather is nice, DVC members are going to be there.

 

[adminjedi]

My husband and I are considering buying DVC and when I look at resales I can get the same # of points much cheaper at, for example, Hilton Head versus BLT. But I can use the points to stay at BLT, I just have to wait until the 7 month window for reservations. I this a big deal? We typically go to WDW in the fall, not during peak.

I would say the biggest disadvantage or risk is this...
If you own offsite, you can NOT make your reservations and travel plans at 11 months and then try to switch to another resort at 7 months as your home resort is at a different location than DW.

If you own any DW resort, you can make all reservations and travel plans knowing you will be at DW. No risk, just maybe not your favorite place to stay if availability at 7 months is not what you hoped for.

 

[cchron]

Thanks so much everyone for all of your input. This is really a tough decision.

We have a trip planned for October and even though if I buy now I may be able to use my points for this trip, I don't want to rush into a big decision like this. We are staying at Contemporary so I think we might see if we can get a tour of BLT while we're there. Who knows, we may be DVC owners by the end of the year and if not at least we took the time to make a decision that was right for us.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thanks so much everyone for all of your input. This is really a tough decision.

We have a trip planned for October and even though if I buy now I may be able to use my points for this trip, I don't want to rush into a big decision like this. We are staying at Contemporary so I think we might see if we can get a tour of BLT while we're there. Who knows, we may be DVC owners by the end of the year and if not at least we took the time to make a decision that was right for us.

Unless you buy directly from Disney, there isn't a chance for you to be a member by October and find any availability. And even then it might be tough.

 

[Dean]

My husband and I are considering buying DVC and when I look at resales I can get the same # of points much cheaper at, for example, Hilton Head versus BLT. But I can use the points to stay at BLT, I just have to wait until the 7 month window for reservations. I this a big deal? We typically go to WDW in the fall, not during peak.

I think there is a balance between price and guaranteed options. IMO, BLT is only a reasonable option compared to resale if one would stay there most trips and/or need a high demand option like a 3 BR. However, I think the risk and other costs do not make up for the other negatives. OTOH, if one will stay at VB or HH routinely, those may be an option. From a value standpoint it really comes down to price, home resort options and dues. IMO, that makes SSR and OKW extended, the best values but that assumes that one is comfortable staying at SSR or OKW if you can't get anything else. Ignoring costs to a degree, the thing you lose with HH and VB is NO 11 month WDW priority. If any of the other resorts are extended, this equation will change significantly.

 

[wildernessDad]

If you desire to stay at BLT, then I would buy at BLT.

 

[Rob S.]

I have a waitlist for a studio for December, for 3 nights. If we don't get that reservation, I'm very likely to buy some points there.

Word is going to get back to MS and they are going to make sure your waitlist does not come through.

 

[MarshallMoore6]

I agree with the above. Buy where you want to stay the most. The 7 month availablity is typically weak.

 

[qanita92]

Would there be any possibility for me to get BLT for the last two weeks of August at 7 months?