Is it hard to book the studios that sleep 5 if you don't own there?

[RoseGold]

Buying SSR to hold for a few years and sell is a great strategy. It's what I did. I also didn't care what I got at 7 months and was willing to book 1BRs. If you must have a studio that sleeps 5, and want to travel peak, I'd buy Poly points.

Heck, I'd probably buy Poly points anyway, mathematically. SSR's increase has been bananas. Poly (and BLT) have not caught up. Boy is that BLT 1BR a good option for this configuration as well, and the 1BR standard view will always require BLT points.

But Poly's price will follow VGF2's price, coming soon to a DVC near you.

 

[gregskellington]

Buying SSR to hold for a few years and sell is a great strategy. It's what I did. I also didn't care what I got at 7 months and was willing to book 1BRs. If you must have a studio that sleeps 5, and want to travel peak, I'd buy Poly points.

Heck, I'd probably buy Poly points anyway, mathematically. SSR's increase has been bananas. Poly (and BLT) have not caught up. Boy is that BLT 1BR a good option for this configuration as well, and the 1BR standard view will always require BLT points.

But Poly's price will follow VGF2's price, coming soon to a DVC near you.

I'm actually surprised how few people here recommend Poly for SAP right now. Definitely one of the best values. If you want studios anyways, seems like the perfect option other than the point chart.

 

[Her Dotness]

There's Poly SAP, and then, for me there's wouldn't stay there again if you paid me unless in a bungalow.

We're among the wildly impractical who don't consider resale value as much as liking a resort enough to stay there.

So, we're looking for yeah-could-stand-that-one resales primarily hoping to relieve the bank/borrow a bit for a 1br at our first love, VGF. Every other year where we really prefer (1br) beats every 3 years.

Unless you're like Pete and can put a finger on the map for which resort you'll add another 500 points at, you soon find it's tinker a lot with bank/borrow or add points.

 

[Brian Noble]

Looking at the possibility of a resale OKW or SSR contract, but eventually we will need 3 sleeping spaces as our opposite gender kids get older and can't share a bed. I know Riviera is out, due to resale restrictions, but what about the other studios that sleep 5?

It might be worth looking at the difference in points between a 1BR at OKW or SSR (both of which sleep five at least semi-comfortably) and a studio at the resorts that sleep five, which would be very tight.

The least point-intensive of those are BCV, BWV, and BRV. You are not going to be able to book BCV during fall frenzy. You probably can't get BWV, and if you do it will be Garden Preferred. BRV is a solid maybe. But even if you could, a studio in e.g. October at one of those three is about 125-130 points for the week. A 1BR Standard at OKW/SSR is 208-218 points. So for an increase of about 85 points, you get much more room, a kitchen, a washer/dryer, and a lockable door between the parents and the children.

Don't underestimate the value of that lockable door.

The other thing that comes to mind: your vacation habits may change faster than you imagine as your kids continue to get older. Some of this will be because things change at the school district---different holidays, policies, etc. Some of that will be due to what your kids' pick up in terms of extra-curricular activities. Neither of my kids would have been willing to travel in either Fall or Spring weekends, because it was either one or the other's "main" sports season. So, maybe it's better if you don't optimize too specifically for long weekends in the Fall, and instead buy a comfortable number of points at a resort you can imagine enjoying in general.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Clarifying that it is 2 kids, opposite genders, but I wanted to avoid having to bring an air mattress. I was set on only buying resale, ever since the minimum raised above 100, because looking at our travel patterns, we average 5 days on-property per year for the past 6 years. Looking at my son's school schedule, our most likely week of travel would be 140-150 points for a 1 bedroom at SSR or OKW. I love the Poly (never stayed there, but love taking the boat over from Ft. Wilderness to visit), so a resale Poly sounds appealing, though I haven't really looked at the pricing. We are staying in a SSR 1 bedroom next trip, so maybe that will help clarify things.

If we bought Poly resale but later wanted more space, are OKW or SSR 1 bedrooms hard to get at 7 months for that fall time frame?

Of course, if we end up looking for 150 point contracts, then it brings up the resale v. direct argument, and if we are looking at 1 bedrooms v. studios, it changes the math of DVC versus moderate resorts (which are becoming increasingly hard to get discounts on), but those are whole other topics.

Thanks for the advice and perspectives, everyone!

 

[gregskellington]

1 Beds are the easiest units to get. SSR and OKW are pretty big resorts. Chances are good for fall in 1BR there, but not perfect.

I picked up 100 Poly points recently at $168pp, fully loaded. Nice deal, IMO, when you consider the current dues for Poly and the length of contract. Only downside for me is the point chart is high for studios - there are times of the year where a Lake View Poly studio is right at the point cost of a 1BR at OKW. Standard studios at Poly are a good value for me considering location, though.

Poly studios are also the biggest studio in the system and have 1.5ish bathrooms, which is nice for larger groups.

 

[RoseGold]

BLT 1BR might be a good solution, with the extra bathroom and standard view point charts not too far off OKW/SSR. This would require enough points for 1BR, because the BLT studio is tight.

OKW/SSR 1BRs are very easy to come by, unless you're superpeak.

And don't forget you can rent points. Renting BC points is a perfectly good solution as well.

 

[gregskellington]

BLT 1BR might be a good solution, with the extra bathroom and standard view point charts not too far off OKW/SSR. This would require enough points for 1BR, because the BLT studio is tight.

OKW/SSR 1BRs are very easy to come by, unless you're superpeak.

And don't forget you can rent points. Renting BC points is a perfectly good solution as well.

Yeah BLT could be good for a scenario like this if you went for the 1BR. Those studios though..tiny!!

 

[Brian Noble]

We are staying in a SSR 1 bedroom next trip, so maybe that will help clarify things.

Fair warning: it's really hard to go back to "just a hotel room" after staying in a condo---and a DVC studio is "just a hotel room."

it changes the math of DVC versus moderate resorts (which are becoming increasingly hard to get discounts on), but those are whole other topics.

I guess from my perspective, I don't consider a single Moderate room a viable option for a family of five once the kids all hit school age, even though technically you "fit" in that 315 sq. ft.