Is DVC a good idea for a spur of the moment South Florida planner??

[Venusleo1]

Hi everyone Jealous of all of you DVC members!!

My husband and I have been thinking about buying into DVC for about a year now. We finally went on a DVC tour at Disney on Tuesday. I did get alot of good info more so then I did off their website or DVD but now the real homework begins and I am enlisting your assistance please.

My husband and I live in South Florida. I get these pesky little Disney bugs up my you know what and then the next thing ya know Ive got ADR's and a hotel booked for a couple of weeks out. Just to give you an idea of our vacation/Disney travel style.. I am a new home sales consultant (real estate agent) so I work weekends, when we go, we go on my "weekend" Sunday night through Tuesday and we drive home Tuesday night. We have the FL resident weekday seasonal pass, and I will buy 1 day tickets for black out days when we want them. Since points are cheaper Sun-Thursday I thought DVC would be great for us and we could probably do every two months vs. every 3 months (like were averaging now) if we bought 150-160 points.

We would probably go more often if it werent for the cost of hotels. I'm kind of a hotel snob but the Deluxe hotels are out of my price range... or should I say my mental price range. I am just not willing to shell out $400 or more a night for a weekend trip. The moderates dont do it for us, so I always try to stay at the Bonnet Creek Resorts (Hilton, Wyndam) or the Swan but these still end up being costly.

If we go 4 times a year every 3 months or so and go for two nights each trip, I spend over $1200/year in hotels. So DVC makes sense to me financially.
Now the question is would it work for us, based on what I want to do. Also, we like to cruise and travel around the world so the idea of the RCI exchange is very appealing, although even if we didnt use the RCI exchange and just did DVC resorts financially it work, the RCI exchange is a bonus but one that I am taking into consideration in my decsision. (We would be buying re-sale so I know I wont have cruise access, but Disney cruises are way too expensive $ wise and point wise, so we wouldnt be using it for cruises and I would just continue to book Royal Caribbean and Norweigian cruises out of pocket)

I kinda planned out my course of action: Its just me and my hubby so Studios would always be more then enough and we dont care about views... ever. Location only matters durring certain times a year like Food & Wine and Christmas

6 stays - we have 160 points
Stay 1: Feb (Dream Season) Animal Kingdom lodge Value room - 20 points for Sunday and Mondy night
Stay 2: April (Magic Season) Animal Kingdom Lodge Value Room- 26 points for Sunday and Monday night
Stay 3: June (Dream Season) Animal Kingdon Lodge Value Room- 20 points
Stay 4: August ( Dream Seasom) Animal Kingdom Lodge Value- 20 points
Stay 5: October (Choice Season) Board Walk Villas value - 20 points
Stay 6: Christmas (Premier) Wilderness Lodge- 28 points
Totals: 134 points
So we could bank some points towards RCI for a couple of years and borrow from the 3rd year and every 3 years we could go someone other then Disney for 5-7 nights.

Is my plan totaly unlikely? Can I do this without having to plan ahead.. the above is a rough guide of what I would like to do but I really just plan at most 2-3 weeks ahead (with the exception of a world trip because then we would need airfare, request time off from work, ect so I could and probably would book something like that 6 months out) but Disney, I just really want to go when I feel like going. Am I going to be able to get a value room last minute or will I be stuck paying 20 points a night somewhere because thats all they have available, or wore yet have nothing available.

What do you guys think? Do you think DVC would work for me and my last minute vacation impulses?

Any other words of advise or maybe ideas that I havnt thought of?
Please help and if anyone needs any advise on new home sales I'll owe you one

 

[robinb]

Sorry, I don't think that DVC is very good for a spur of the moment traveler. The resorts which are generally "left over" 30 days before check in are AKV and SSR and even they are often sold out. You certainly won't get a AKV Value room or BWV Standard View room with out (A) owning at those resorts and (B) Booking well in advance. Those rooms go really fast. I wish I had better news for you .

ETA: Your "weekend" is also an issue as many people still book Sun-Fri at DVC resorts and not the weekends because of the point differential so often the only thing that is left are Fri-Sat. I peeked at availability for a studio in mid-late July. There is an AKV Kidani Standard (parking lot) view available for part of the time and SSR. The Sun-Tues over Christmas is sold out for everything except SSR.

 

[AJA]

Very basic math here!

If you purchase 160 points your MF's yearly cost is $800-$900. If you're only spending $1200 right now it will take a long time recoup your original buy in. And MF's will increase, you wont have control over those, as hotel prices increase you do have some control as you can choose locations/savings/rates.

Am I reading your post correctly? You spend "around" $1200 on 8ish nights each year? or is it $1200 each visit?

 

[CarolMN]

IMO, you will end up frustrated more often than not if you cannot or will not book farther ahead.

You definitely will not find availability in the "value" categories booking that close to arrival. Most times, those rooms go right at the 11 month window. A few lucky people will get them at 7 months, but it is very rare to find them on shorter notice than that.

Seriously, DVC works best for those who can plan ahead.

 

[DougEMG]

Sorry, I don't think that DVC is very good for a spur of the moment traveler. The resorts which are generally "left over" 30 days before check in are AKV and SSR and even they are often sold out. You certainly won't get a AKV Value room or BWV Standard View room with out (A) owning at those resorts and (B) Booking well in advance. Those rooms go really fast.

Totally agree...

Why don't you try renting some destressed points that people are trying to get rid of. Then you'll see real fast what you can and can't get, plus it is going to be a way cheaper option than buying yourself.

 

[jekjones1558]

Besides the fact that it doesn't sound like you plan to book many months ahead, your plan involves 3 resorts and you plan to book a BWV standard view in October when those rooms are gone shortly after the 11 month booking opens. You plan to book VWL at Christmas when those rooms also book up close to the 11 month window. I have not booked an AKV value so I am not sure how quickly those rooms go. But your plan would mean you would probably need to own at 3 different resorts in order to get the rooms you want at the times you want and you would need to be ready to book those rooms close to 11 months ahead. It doesn't sound to me like DVC would work that well for you. JMHO.

 

[PirateLife4Me:)]

I live in miami and ill tell you i use my points year round and go to disney numerous times a year. Sometimes we go up to do the parks or sometimes we just go to relax and enjoy the pools but be sure that since you live in south florida it does makes things with vero beach or any of the disney resorts way easier to do with vacation club

 

[Venusleo1]

Sorry, I don't think that DVC is very good for a spur of the moment traveler. The resorts which are generally "left over" 30 days before check in are AKV and SSR and even they are often sold out. You certainly won't get a AKV Value room or BWV Standard View room with out (A) owning at those resorts and (B) Booking well in advance. Those rooms go really fast. I wish I had better news for you .

ETA: Your "weekend" is also an issue as many people still book Sun-Fri at DVC resorts and not the weekends because of the point differential so often the only thing that is left are Fri-Sat. I peeked at availability for a studio in mid-late July. There is an AKV Kidani Standard (parking lot) view available for part of the time and SSR. The Sun-Tues over Christmas is sold out for everything except SSR.

Thank you, for checking the availability... that is what I am unable to do and that is why I came to you all to see if what I was looking to do would even be possible and it seems that it probably would not be a good idea for us unless we want to start planning our trips far in advance.

Very basic math here!

If you purchase 160 points your MF's yearly cost is $800-$900. If you're only spending $1200 right now it will take a long time recoup your original buy in. And MF's will increase, you wont have control over those, as hotel prices increase you do have some control as you can choose locations/savings/rates.

Am I reading your post correctly? You spend "around" $1200 on 8ish nights each year? or is it $1200 each visit?

At around $150/night yes 4 seperate trips so 8 nights costs us a little over $1200/year and that is if I can get great deals on the hotels. Sometimes they go for as much as $250/night in which case it would end up costing significantly more but... thats only for 4 trips with DVC on SSR 160 points at 4.73/point Im only at $756/year (as yes I understand they go up but everything goes up including hotel rates so its comparable) if I could go 6 times a year it would be a great savings. So lets say $200/night for 12 nights I am at $2400 vs $756 difference of $1644 I would of covered the cost of my initial investment in under 10 years with another 30+ years to continue saving.

Totally agree...

Why don't you try renting some destressed points that people are trying to get rid of. Then you'll see real fast what you can and can't get, plus it is going to be a way cheaper option than buying yourself.

I have tried to rent points from a popular DVC rental agency but he told me that I need to do a minimum of 33 points at $13/point $429 costs me more then paying $150/night at a hotel. So that is why I havnt tried, although I have looked into it.

Besides the fact that it doesn't sound like you plan to book many months ahead, your plan involves 3 resorts and you plan to book a BWV standard view in October when those rooms are gone shortly after the 11 month booking opens. You plan to book VWL at Christmas when those rooms also book up close to the 11 month window. I have not booked an AKV value so I am not sure how quickly those rooms go. But your plan would mean you would probably need to own at 3 different resorts in order to get the rooms you want at the times you want and you would need to be ready to book those rooms close to 11 months ahead. It doesn't sound to me like DVC would work that well for you. JMHO.

Awesome information, this is again why I came here... I am unfamiliar with how the availabilty is. Thank you.

IMO, you will end up frustrated more often than not if you cannot or will not book farther ahead.

You definitely will not find availability in the "value" categories booking that close to arrival. Most times, those rooms go right at the 11 month window. A few lucky people will get them at 7 months, but it is very rare to find them on shorter notice than that.

Seriously, DVC works best for those who can plan ahead.

Thank you! As badly as I want it if it doesnt make sense for me and my family then no use throwing away good money. Thanks.

 

[robinb]

I have tried to rent points from a popular DVC rental agency but he told me that I need to do a minimum of 33 points at $13/point $429 costs me more then paying $150/night at a hotel. So that is why I havnt tried, although I have looked into it.

The rent/trade board does not have restrictions and most DVC members rent for less than $13 per point. Points that are "distressed" and need to be used in the next month or two are even less. It might be worth poking around on the rent/trade board the next time you have the urge to got to WDW and see if there are people renting at a rate you're willing to pay and then have them check availability for you. Make sure to go back a couple of pages to see everyone.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

OP: We live in CA about 4 hours from DL and decided not to buy points at GCV due to our inability to plan 11 months out. However, we own at BWV and have used those points to book at GCV several times when we knew 7 months in advance that we wanted to go. For our other DL trips, we pay out of pocket.

Instead of all or nothing, you might find owning enough points to book during Food & Wine and at Christmas gives you a savings on an upgraded experience without locking you into planning all your trips so far in advance. -- Suzanne

 

[Venusleo1]

The rent/trade board does not have restrictions and most DVC members rent for less than $13 per point. Points that are "distressed" and need to be used in the next month or two are even less. It might be worth poking around on the rent/trade board the next time you have the urge to got to WDW and see if there are people renting at a rate you're willing to pay and then have them check availability for you. Make sure to go back a couple of pages to see everyone.

I did not know that! Thank you for the great idea. Next time I need a Disney fix I will definatly check that out. If I knew what I wanted could I post a thread or am I only allowed to respond to threads?

OP: We live in CA about 4 hours from DL and decided not to buy points at GCV due to our inability to plan 11 months out. However, we own at BWV and have used those points to book at GCV several times when we knew 7 months in advance that we wanted to go. For our other DL trips, we pay out of pocket.

Instead of all or nothing, you might find owning enough points to book during Food & Wine and at Christmas gives you a savings on an upgraded experience without locking you into planning all your trips so far in advance. -- Suzanne

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Its something to think about, and will start looking at the resales for smaller contracts.

 

[Missyrose]

I did not know that! Thank you for the great idea. Next time I need a Disney fix I will definatly check that out. If I knew what I wanted could I post a thread or am I only allowed to respond to threads?

"Points wanted" threads are not allowed on the Rent/Trade board. You can only respond to the threads that owners post when they have points available. Be sure to read the sticky at the top of the Rent/Trade board, it has lots of necessary info before you start to search.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I did not know that! Thank you for the great idea. Next time I need a Disney fix I will definatly check that out. If I knew what I wanted could I post a thread or am I only allowed to respond to threads? ....

But you need to remember that most members are uneasy booking a reservation for a non-member at less than 31 days out because if they don't get paid, they can't cancel the reservation without the points going into holding.

 

[ldo]

why don't you buy 100 points and then do a combo? I agree that you probably should not bank on BWV standard or AKV value, but you probably can get AKV standard many times. For times you don't get what you want, you can still book and pay. Plus, that way, you can still take advantage of good deals on room rate offered by WDW. Don't plan on getting VWL in December. For your plans, I think a resale 100 point contract would work great. Elaine

 

[madelyn]

Trying to book a "last minute" stay and have been checking availability for Thur to Wed stays (targeting to stay either Thur to Sun or Sat to Tue). I am looking to stay either Sept/Oct/Nov of this year. So 3 to 5 months ahead. The only studio availability that is consistent is at Saratoga. I did find 4 nights in a value studio at Jambo in November. Studios (NOT near the Hospitality House) are available in Sept at OKW. I have been checking just about daily. So unless there are cancellations last minute, I would have to echo what others on here are saying. You will not be able to find availability in studio rooms last minute. I think others have the same idea (want to conserve points) and those traveling in the non school time seasons are happy with the smaller studio units. It seems that standard and value rooms are the hardest to get. I did come across a Savannah view studio for one weekend in my targeted time frame.

 

[Venusleo1]

Trying to book a "last minute" stay and have been checking availability for Thur to Wed stays (targeting to stay either Thur to Sun or Sat to Tue). I am looking to stay either Sept/Oct/Nov of this year. So 3 to 5 months ahead. The only studio availability that is consistent is at Saratoga. I did find 4 nights in a value studio at Jambo in November. Studios (NOT near the Hospitality House) are available in Sept at OKW. I have been checking just about daily. So unless there are cancellations last minute, I would have to echo what others on here are saying. You will not be able to find availability in studio rooms last minute. I think others have the same idea (want to conserve points) and those traveling in the non school time seasons are happy with the smaller studio units. It seems that standard and value rooms are the hardest to get. I did come across a Savannah view studio for one weekend in my targeted time frame.

Thanks, this helped alot. It seems like DVC would not be for us. Which is a disappointment because I do love the idea and would realy like to be a member, but I would hate to put in all of that money and just not be able to utilize the benefits to their max potential and end up having to sell (at a loss of course).

Thank you to everyone for your imput I knew I could count on my fellow Disers and Disney lovers for some very solid advice.
I wish you all lots of awesome Disney trips in the future!

 

[phorsenuf]

Guess I'll be the odd man out and say yes, it can be done.
We were living in NH when we bought in and have since moved to Clearwater. There have been many times where on the spur of the moment we decide to go to the World for a few days. I think maybe one time we couldn't get a room, usually we have no issues. I've called anywhere from a week or two out and I've done same day. OKW and SSR are usually available (which we don't mind so much) and we've gotten AKV and BW.

Maybe we've been lucky? Who knows. It works for us.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

I live in Southwest Florida, about 2.5 hours away from the Walt Disney World Resort. Currently, I am visiting one weekend a month, either Saturday through Monday or Sunday to Monday.

Right now, I have weekend trips planned from now until the end of May. In a few days, when members are able to book their home resorts for June, I will book my June vacation.

Why do I do this? Well, I can tell you from experience that it is very difficult to find availability at a WDW DVC resort just a few days out. Admittedly, I thought I would ALWAYS be able to secure a room at Old Key West or Saratoga Springs, but even deluxe studios at these resorts are booked.

When last I spoke to my guide, Florida ranked third for the state with the most DVC members. It seems as though even us Floridians must be advanced planners.

 

[Brian Noble]

In general, DVC is a poor match for a last-minute vacationer. You would probably do better renting from owners (at DVC and elsewhere) who find they have to cancel late, or spec renters who don't move their inventory until last minute.