Is owning OKW and SSR just plain foolish?

[Daitcher]

Right upfront I'll say that there is an ulterior motive at play with this thread. I am considering selling my SSR points as soon as the resort is sold out.

The question I want opinions on is this: How does it make any sense to own SSR or OKW?

Those 2 large resorts have availablity almost all of the time. I don't see an advantage to owning those resorts. I can get into either one of them almost right up to the last minute. Home resort priority seems meaningless at those 2 unless you must have a grand villa. Even then BWV has GV. Owning a small DVc Resort in a prime location seesm to be the way to go.

I'd really like some of the great opinions on the board with this. I've got time because SSR will be selling for a while yet. I figure it is never to early to start preparing. I also might need to go on a waitlist.

Thanks,


DAVE

 

[Beca]

Yes, but OKW's GV's are MUCH MUCH cheaper than BWV's, and they fill up often before the 7 month window opens.



Beca

 

[unixadm]

Dave,

There are advantages to both places:


SSR:
1. 12 years more ownership. This is important for several reasons...longer use for my family and higher resale value years from now if we so choose. As time goes on the resale of BWV and BCV will go DOWN because of the 2042 expiration. No one in their right mind would pay full price in 2024 for BWV or BCV with only 18 years of use left, while they could buy SSR and get 30 years of use.
2. I think it is a beautiful resort. Close to DTD, and we don't have to waitlist everytime we stay.

OKW:
1. Bigger rooms
2. Cheaper points per night
3. Kind of the "secret resort" that people don't think of, but great for a relaxation vacation.


Choice of SSR or OKW, then I would buy SSR hands down. Choice of SSR and other resorts, I would probably still go SSR, but may do some add on with BWV or BCV. Choice of OKW or BCV/BWV, then definitely BCV or BWV for location

It all depends on what YOU want. Don't worry about what other people are saying or want. I prefer to stay near Epcot, but would be just as happy at SSR for a vacation. Others don't feel that way, and SSR/OKW are not what they want.

 

[boatboatboat]

well from a money perspective SSR is the way to go. I just did a small 65 pt add on. I crunch numbers for a living. I took everything into consideration, and it is obvious ssr has the most value (12 years). Now with that being said, I didn't add on at ssr. I don't ever want to plan a vacation a year in advance and not be able to stay where I WANT to stay. Now when my bwv/hh contracts are long gone, I may have regrets I didn't buy SSR. In fact at that time I am sure i will.

On a side note and maybe off the subject, I have thought about buying bcv with the sole purpose, to be to book Christmas week and sell the vacations on ebay. I watched one sell last fall for 25 bucks a point. My thought is I could take the rental income and save that every year for the next 36 years and when my contracts at bwv/hh are done, I would have enough money from the rental income to pay cash at any wdw resort I desire.

But back to your question, IMO it depends how how much you value where you stay. If you want to KNOW you can stay on the boardwalk/beach club area then IMO you will need to own there.

The lucky people are the ones who believe SSR is the best resort, and own there. They have the best of all worlds. The own where they will be staying, and will do so for 12 more years then the rest of us.

I do question why DVC points at SSR don't cost more to buy from Disney then the other WDW resorts? It would seem to me with all things being equal they should cost 25% more, and so should the re-sales.

I imagine that once dvc builds somemore dvc2 resorts, I will do an add on, as i LOVE the idea of 12 more years. But as it stands, 12 more years vs staying at SSR isn't a value for MY VACATIONS.

When i go on vacation I never want to think I am staying at my 2nd choice.

 

[boatboatboat]

I prefer to stay near Epcot, but would be just as happy at SSR


that is a contradiction.

 

[greenban]

Right upfront I'll say that there is an ulterior motive at play with this thread. I am considering selling my SSR points as soon as the resort is sold out.

The question I want opinions on is this: How does it make any sense to own SSR or OKW?

Those 2 large resorts have availablity almost all of the time. I don't see an advantage to owning those resorts. I can get into either one of them almost right up to the last minute. Home resort priority seems meaningless at those 2 unless you must have a grand villa. Even then BWV has GV. Owning a small DVc Resort in a prime location seesm to be the way to go.

I'd really like some of the great opinions on the board with this. I've got time because SSR will be selling for a while yet. I figure it is never to early to start preparing. I also might need to go on a waitlist.

Thanks,


DAVE

FWIW:

OKW is mine and DW's favorite DVC. We are going to retire there and hopefully I'll die before needing to move to SSR (Just kidding). I really love everything about OKW. There is nothing I don't like, except maybe the noisy golfers, and a BB gun gets them to speed up their play markedly anyway!

-Tony

P.S. More than halfway to the retirement goal!

 

[unixadm]

I prefer to stay near Epcot, but would be just as happy at SSR


that is a contradiction.

Not really....to elaborate....I prefer to stay near Epcot right now since our kids our young....but as our kids get older, and we get "Disney'ed Out", I feel that I would be just as happy and maybe happier just going to a resort like SSR, relaxing, using the Spa, Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island, etc.

As it is right now, my wife and I have talked about doing a "no park" resort vacation in the future. Even if we wanted to hit a few parks, we can easily do that from SSR.

 

[JimFitz]

I like owning at OKW for the GV advantage

 

[shellbelle1971]

The ability to book those "cheapie" GVs at OKW at 11 months has led me to beg, cajole, wheedle & plead with DH to buy some points there. It's approximatly 150 points per week cheaper than a GV at SSR (where we own) during the time of year we usually go. That's a HUGE savings that I would love to be able to take advantage of. Plus the initial price per point for OKW is comparatively quite low.

If you don't value those GV's, generally lower point requirements, or room size, though, I agree that OKW may not be your cup of tea.

 

[bavaria]

FWIW:

OKW is mine and DW's favorite DVC. We are going to retire there and hopefully I'll die before needing to move to SSR (Just kidding). I really love everything about OKW. There is nothing I don't like, except maybe the noisy golfers, and a BB gun gets them to speed up their play markedly anyway!

-Tony

P.S. More than halfway to the retirement goal!

OKW has become my surprise favourite as well, and the fact that Tony and wife will be my neighbours has sealed the deal.

 

[tomandrobin]

The question I want opinions on is this: How does it make any sense to own SSR or OKW? /QUOTE]

In all honesty, does it make sense to own at any resort. You can buy/rent points at $8 to $12 a point, with $10 being the norm. Its cheaper and the upfront money that you didn't spend and could have been better invested. Apparently we all have more money then brains.

Also, I know some people don't seem to get it, but there are members who actually prefer SSR and OKW over BWV and BCV. Strange I know for some to accept, but they are out there.

 

[gppnj]

I don't think owning at either OKW or SSR is foolish if you like those resorts. (I have mixed feelings about SSR, but I stayed at OKW last month, and I was very impressed.) You've made it clear that you don't care for SSR, so in your case, I definitely think you'd be a lot happier if you bought elsewhere.

You touched on an interesting issue, however. One does have a booking advantage if one owns at one of the smaller resorts. If one owned at BCV, one could book at BCV 11 months out, and one is almost guaranteed to be able to book at SSR or (for most times of year) OKW at seven months out. However, the reverse is not the case as consistently, and many feel that SSR and OKW owners will have an increasingly difficult time getting into the smaller resorts at seven months.

Even owning at a smaller resport doesn't solve everything, however. I own at VWL. If I had to stay there every time, I wouldn't be too upset. At some point, though, I'd like to give BCV a try. But even though I own at a smaller resort, my chance of getting in BCV at seven months is no better than that of an SSR owner.

Actually, that might not be 100% true. When I'm ready to try to stay at BCV, I'm going to see if I can get a BCV owner to book a week for me there in exchange for me booking a VWL week for them (perhaps an October week at BCV in exchange for an early December week at VWL, with something negotiated to account for any point difference). That wouldn't be the easiest thing to arrange, but it's worth a try. That would let me leverage my smaller-resort advantage to get into a different smaller resort before the seven-month window opens and the masses get a crack at it. In theory someone at SSR could try to get a jump on the seven-month window and do the same thing, but there's no incentive for the BCV owner to enter into such a deal with an SSR owner because the BCV owner could get into SSR without such a deal. Hmmm, maybe I'm onto something...

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

AT SSR the price. I just bought BW when the f&f discount came out. I paid $92 per pt vs $83 per pt. for 12 less years and .66 more a point in mf.

IMO, its worth it- if you want beach front, you pay beach front. However, the f&f deal allowed alot of people to purchase dvc.

OKW.- The price per point to stay in all the rooms including the GV. I'm actually thinking of doing an add on there just to get the grand villas for 36 points a night off season. Also, you could stay an extra 2 days per year over the BCV, BW pref view and WLV or get a better room at OKW. Alot of people seem to like the fact that its not NEAR any park so they have a chance to get away from the chaos. Plus the resale price of OKW is better, which again allows more to purchase it.

 

[sajetto]

I'm a really big OKW fan. It's my favorite of ALL the DVCs. I've tried begging, pleading, and bartering with the DF to no avail. He wants the extra 12 years and he really likes SSR. I'm thinking that I may be able to convince him to do an add on once we have kids so that we can have bigger rooms and possibly book a grand villa when the family gets together. For now though, he will not budge for any reason

 

[shantay1008]

Dave,
Maybe you should hold off and wait and see if a new DVC resort gets built. If you liked it, you could either add on there or sell your SSR points and buy outright. You might like it more than SSR and you would still get the extra years.

 

[Dennyha]

 

[Daitcher]

The ability to book those "cheapie" GVs at OKW at 11 months has led me to beg, cajole, wheedle & plead with DH to buy some points there. It's approximatly 150 points per week cheaper than a GV at SSR (where we own) during the time of year we usually go. That's a HUGE savings that I would love to be able to take advantage of. Plus the initial price per point for OKW is comparatively quite low.

If you don't value those GV's, generally lower point requirements, or room size, though, I agree that OKW may not be your cup of tea.

To make this clear I love OKW Resort. I just don't see an advantage to own there for a family of 3 that doesn't need the GV.


DAVE

 

[Tink10]

The only way that I would consider a SSR purchase foolish is if the buyer purchased with the sole expectation of booking at the smaller DVC resorts 100% of the time for the entire duration of their membership.

We've been members just over a year & have the majority of our points at SSR. We do own a smaller amount at BWV on the off chance that there may come a day that we HAVE to stay there, book at 11 months & nothing else will do.

We're totally flexible & are happy to stay at any of the DVC resorts, so for us, buying SSR was a no-brainer with the incentives available & additional years of ownership. Also, to us, it's not about the booking window, resale value, point rental prices or availability issues.

Because we're members, we can pretty much always stay on property in a great room that.....


A) Is not a value resort

B) Has a Balcony, King Bed & Jacuzzi Tub

C) I can call home.

 

[boatboatboat]

Wow I just looked at the OKW GV point chart.

lord, the Jan dates Sun-Thur are only 36 pts a night.

that really is a GREAT deal.

I may invite my wife, my daughter, my mother (age 78), my mother in law (age 76) and my grandmother in law (age 91) for a stay there with us......

There is a on-site bar?

right?

 

[Daitcher]

The question I want opinions on is this: How does it make any sense to own SSR or OKW? /QUOTE]

In all honesty, does it make sense to own at any resort. You can buy/rent points at $8 to $12 a point, with $10 being the norm. Its cheaper and the upfront money that you didn't spend and could have been better invested. Apparently we all have more money then brains.

Also, I know some people don't seem to get it, but there are members who actually prefer SSR and OKW over BWV and BCV. Strange I know for some to accept, but they are out there.

The question here lies with this: Whether or not you love OKW or SSR seems irelevant. Why own one of them if you can book them at 7 months and less using say BCv or BWV points? I'm just throwing it around in my head. If I owned one of the small DVC's I could still stay at SSR and OKW if I chose to.
Also I need a really good reason not to sell SSR and become Becas new neighbor.

DAVE