Just got home and looking harder at DVC

[supergoofy]

Hopefully we will pull the plug soon

Been looking at DVC for some time. Really like the idea and this trip we did offsite at Bonnet Creek and then onsite at AoA and came to realize AoA while it was a suite doesn't fit us. Bonnet Creek with 2 actual rooms, living room and such was for us.

We are from Oregon and looked at California but are looking more at Florida. Currently would need a 2 bedroom with a family of 5.

Heres where we are lost as it is really not feasible to stay at every DVC on property in a trip. Yes we could do 1 day each but that would be a hard trip and not accurate view.


So folks who own DVC what are the pros/cons of your DVC?

 

[vicki_c]

Quite a few of the DVC 1 BRs allow 5, and most now have a sleeper chair or Murphy bed to accommodate that. So you may want to rethink the need for points for a 2 BR and instead focus on those where you can have 5 comfortably in a 1 BR.

Those resorts are OKW, AKV, BLT, the new VGF I believe. Did I miss any? (VWL now allows 5 in a studio with a Murphy bed but I think that would be terrible cramped. I wouldn't do it unless I had a toddler).

 

[sleepydog25]

Hopefully we will pull the plug soon

Been looking at DVC for some time. Really like the idea and this trip we did offsite at Bonnet Creek and then onsite at AoA and came to realize AoA while it was a suite doesn't fit us. Bonnet Creek with 2 actual rooms, living room and such was for us.

We are from Oregon and looked at California but are looking more at Florida. Currently would need a 2 bedroom with a family of 5.

Heres where we are lost as it is really not feasible to stay at every DVC on property in a trip. Yes we could do 1 day each but that would be a hard trip and not accurate view.


So folks who own DVC what are the pros/cons of your DVC?

There is a lot of good information regarding purchasing DVC on Disney Vacation Club sub-forum--lots of Sticky Notes and advice from long-time owners (I've only owned 10 years). That aside, in short, for DVC to work for you, the general consensus is that you need to visit Disney at least once every two years for the next couple of decades for the buy-in of DVC to make sense. If you are sold on the idea of a 1BR or 2BR suite with a full kitchen and washer/dryer combo, DVC can make a wonderful alternative to hotel rooms.
PROS
- The aforementioned kitchen and washer/dryer
- Space relative to the average hotel room
- If visited often enough and purchased smartly, you can save money on accommodations through the years
- Intrinsic "value" of belonging to a group of Disney enthusiasts (for some it's very valuable; for others hardly at all)
CONS
- Expense
- If you aren't a planner, then you could have scheduling issues re: finding the resort you want for a particular stay
- Family vacations/needs changing over time that don't match up to owning DVC
- Feeling the need to vacation at Disney more because you "own" there (some would call this a PRO )

As for staying at every DVC at WDW on one stay, I'd definitely say no. I suppose it's feasible, but you'd spend every day waiting to check into a new room or dealing with MagicBand issues. If you plan to primarily do Disneyland (I'm assuming you don't live nearby), then your best bet would be buying VGC which isn't cheap. If you buy at a WDW resort, then you'd be limited to a 7-month window to reserve at VGC, and that's not very easy to do. However, if you plan to buy DVC primarily for trips to Florida, then the "at least every two years" becomes quite important. Due diligence is key here. Good luck.

 

[supergoofy]

Quite a few of the DVC 1 BRs allow 5, and most now have a sleeper chair or Murphy bed to accommodate that. So you may want to rethink the need for points for a 2 BR and instead focus on those where you can have 5 comfortably in a 1 BR.

Those resorts are OKW, AKV, BLT, the new VGF I believe. Did I miss any? (VWL now allows 5 in a studio with a Murphy bed but I think that would be terrible cramped. I wouldn't do it unless I had a toddler).

I looked at the points chart and OKW shows 4 in a 1 bed room.

BLT is 250 points in Dream season for a 1 bed room yet Boardwalk is 280 for a 2 bed room. Why is BLT better than Boardwalk?

I am not sold on CA as there I can stay offsite and be a mere 5 minute walk farther and have pretty decent accommodations.

While I loved offsite the drive was the issue. I'd prefer to not have to drive to/from airport or parks.

 

[sleepydog25]

I looked at the points chart and OKW shows 4 in a 1 bed room.

BLT is 250 points in Dream season for a 1 bed room yet Boardwalk is 280 for a 2 bed room. Why is BLT better than Boardwalk?

I am not sold on CA as there I can stay offsite and be a mere 5 minute walk farther and have pretty decent accommodations.

While I loved offsite the drive was the issue. I'd prefer to not have to drive to/from airport or parks.

If MK is the park in which you will spend most of your time, BLT is the closest resort. Not only can you see MK from there, but you can walk to it in under 10 minutes. That's very convenient when you have smaller kids or want to beat the Florida heat during the summer. Also, BLT's 1BRs have two bathrooms which is a bonus. BWV is close to Epcot, and many love the proximity to both that park and all the action on the boardwalk itself. From BLT, you can monorail to Epcot or catch a bus, so it's fairly convenient. All the resorts have features which appeal to various people. We love the serenity and theming of VWL, plus you can catch a boat to MK. Others swear by OKW because the suites are larger. Still others prefer having animals on the savannah (AKL), the pool and closeness to Epcot of BCV, or the grandeur of the VGF. The best idea for you would be to check out as many of them as you can before purchasing since the adage "buy where you want to stay" is particularly true.

For example, on your next trip, do a split stay at the two most intriguing resorts, then try to visit the others just to look around. At least then you'd have an idea of what most appeals to you (though perhaps you already do).

 

[disneynutz]

Here is my suggestion. Decide on how many points you need and buy resale at SSR. Use the points to stay at all of the DVC resorts over the next few years, If you have trouble getting the resorts and/or rooms that you want, later you can sell SSR and buy at your favorite resort since you have stayed at the resorts and now know where that is.

You can read about the program and get the basics but everyone has their own expectations, likes and dis-likes. DVC may work for you, it may not, but you won't know until you give it a try.

Bill

 

[chalee94]

I looked at the points chart and OKW shows 4 in a 1 bed room.

i just don't think it is updated. OKW 1BRs definitely have the sleeper chair.

BLT is 250 points in Dream season for a 1 bed room yet Boardwalk is 280 for a 2 bed room. Why is BLT better than Boardwalk?

i would not compare the standard view rooms unless you buy into those resorts as those are fewer in number and can be difficult to book unless you book at 11 months out. lake view at BLT and preferred view (pool/garden) are more commonly available.

 

[bakerworld]

We only joined DVC in '09 and our vacationing preferences have already changed. If you're a family of 5 then I would base your purchase on that, however my advice would be to structure your purchase in such a way that you could sell off some pts - if feasible - to accommodate future vacation preferences.

We bought when we were just starting our adult only vacations so we 1) thought any venue would be fine and 2) expected our 'go to' destination to remain MK. Neither one of those thoughts have held true.

Even tho our BL purchase was only a bit over 5 years ago we could sell our 100 pts at a breakeven cost because it's only a 100 pt contract. Smaller contracts sell higher and faster on resale.

 

[supergoofy]

Thanks for all the replys.

We are in an odd spot as we have a 16 year old and twin 10 year olds.

So we will have atleast 2 kids with us for another decade and possible 3 at times.


I really like BLT for MK and monorail.

But also looking at BWV for Epcot and HS and monorail.


Definitely looking at doing resale and buying enough so we go every other year to start. I don't think we could do it every year as airfare and food are expensive.

And with enough points for a 2 bedroom every other year when we go to adults only then we could go every year just smaller unit which works for us.



Disneynutz why buy SSR?

 

[Cinderpamela]

We are west coast also, and own at SSR, purchased DVC in 2011.

Many will tell you to buy where you like to stay, and I do agree with that, we have so far been really fortunate to be able to get the resorts we wanted at the 7 month window, but I always have a plan B if for some reason we could not get what we want.

So far we have managed to stay at Aulani (twice), VGC (twice) and VWL, all booked at the 7 month window opening.

Now, looking back I would either buy at VGC, BWV, VWL, but like I said, we have been able to get what we want at 7 months for each of our trips.... or in the case of Disneyland trips if we could not get in at VGC we would be alright with staying off site at a good neighbor hotel.

Love our DVC! The reason we chose SSR was to be able to buy the most amount of points for our dollar. I believe that is probably why Disneynutz recommended you start out with a SSR contract.

SSR has worked great for us.... and I would be happy to stay there on WDW trips if that was what was available when the 7 month window opened up.

 

[Dean]

Hopefully we will pull the plug soon

Been looking at DVC for some time. Really like the idea and this trip we did offsite at Bonnet Creek and then onsite at AoA and came to realize AoA while it was a suite doesn't fit us. Bonnet Creek with 2 actual rooms, living room and such was for us.

We are from Oregon and looked at California but are looking more at Florida. Currently would need a 2 bedroom with a family of 5.

Heres where we are lost as it is really not feasible to stay at every DVC on property in a trip. Yes we could do 1 day each but that would be a hard trip and not accurate view.


So folks who own DVC what are the pros/cons of your DVC?

I'm always nervous people buying from that far away. Simply far too many opportunities for life to happen. The other question is what you'd do other trips when you don't go to WDW? It might be that a non DVC timeshare might be the better option for you as a single entity, possibly Worldmark or Wyndham. I agree with planning on a 2 BR for DVC even if you could legally squeeze into a 1 BR or possibly in between so you could do a 2 BR when needed and a 1 BR when possible.

 

[supergoofy]

I'm always nervous people buying from that far away. Simply far too many opportunities for life to happen. The other question is what you'd do other trips when you don't go to WDW? It might be that a non DVC timeshare might be the better option for you as a single entity, possibly Worldmark or Wyndham. I agree with planning on a 2 BR for DVC even if you could legally squeeze into a 1 BR or possibly in between so you could do a 2 BR when needed and a 1 BR when possible.

Dean I think by buying 1/2 the points we need thus making us go every 2 years allows us to do vacations locally.

 

[johnsbelt]

Thanks for all the replys.


But also looking at BWV for Epcot and HS and monorail.

Be careful with access to the monorail for BWV or BCV. The main access to the Epcot monorail from these resorts is going through the park. You will need park admission and a park hopper (or annual pass) on the days you want to cut through Epcot.

John

 

[Sur]

Be careful with access to the monorail for BWV or BCV. The main access to the Epcot monorail from these resorts is going through the park. You will need park admission and a park hopper (or annual pass) on the days you want to cut through Epcot. John

You're not kidding! I used ourlaughingplace travel wizard and this was failed to be mentioned....HUGE pain, LONG bus rides, all for a bowl of ice cream! Ugh!

 

[ChanFO]

We bought when we were just starting our adult only vacations so we 1) thought any venue would be fine and 2) expected our 'go to' destination to remain MK. Neither one of those thoughts have held true. .

Ain't that the truth... also purchased 100 AKV points in 2009 with the thought that I would never ever want to stay anywhere else, and now my family makeup (and vacation style preferences) are rather different. Still, I love my little contract, even if it does mean I'd have to be less choosy than I want to be when booking outside my home resort.

 

[Dean]

Dean I think by buying 1/2 the points we need thus making us go every 2 years allows us to do vacations locally.

To me just too many things that can go wrong when you're that far away. Unless you have a strong history of travel over a number of years (not just plans to do so) I'd be very concerned about this plan.