Large family (9 kids) planning on buying DVC points-any suggestions?

[ncjenkins]

We are wanting to buy DVC points and will need to finance them unless we wait a while (and we don't want to. We have a large family (9 kids) so we want a family friendly resort with a great pool etc. since some trips we may not even go into a park possibly. Since our family is large we will need larger accommodations everytime we visit even if everyone can't make the trip, it is still a big group. We have looked at resale and the large point difference between HHI, SSR, OKW etc. and AMV for example. We aren't sure where we'd want as a home(s) for 11 month booking preference at this point. Any recommendations?

We have visted AKV and it was really neat but we visit the zoo where we live often so we weren't that blown away by the critters, the lodge was awesome though

We think BLT is a good investment and have thought of buying in there with the 160 pts. (smallest new member package)and then adding smaller points packages to other resorts (to get more home resorts) that are harder to book to get us up to the 250-300 points we think we need. I know there is some limitations with combining points from other packages but not sure what those are exactly.

We are also trying to keep in mind that if we want to go to HHI in the spring or summer we may want to own there and buy in April or so (?)to even be able to get reservations during that time.

Are we on the right track here with our reasoning?

What resorts would you recommend us owning considering our large family size and the fact we might want 11 month booking ability if they are hard to get into?

I have appreciated being able to wander around this board and read all the great information here!
Thanks for your time!!
Liz

 

[nolanboys]

If I can put in my 2 cents - I'd look into OKW resale. Your family is so large that you would need a grand villa. The points at OKW for the grand villa are the smallest of all the resorts and you would need the 11 month booking window to secure it. The pool is very nice there and we loved the tennis and basketball courts right by the main pool.

 

[littlestar]

With a family of 9 kids, you are going to need a lot of DVC points for booking larger units.

With a family that large, I would consider some Wyndham points purchased resale maybe to use at Wyndham Bonnet Creek - they have 4 bedroom units (this resort sits next door to Disney's Caribbean Beach). Wyndham also has some beach cottages in Myrtle Beach (not Hilton Head) that would accommodate the size of your family.

Just wanted to throw Wyndham points out there as a suggestion for you since you have such a large family.

If you decided to go with DVC points, if you bought SSR resale you could book a SSR treehouse (sleeps 9) and maybe a studio, too. Or do a combination of a 2 bedroom at OKW with a studio and ask for them to be near each other. OKW has a low point requirement with plenty of square footage on the units. Or maybe even a Grand Villa at OKW since it has the lowest points for Grand Villas. So you might think about resale at OKW, too - if you go that route, try to buy an extended contract. Of course, if you buy direct from Disney at OKW, you don't have to worry about the contract not being extended past the 2042 end date.

 

[rlovew]

If you have 9 children so a total of 11 in your travel party then the only accomidations that will put you all in the same spot is a Grand Villa- those are very hard to book at non-home resorts. OKW is the resort where you can get the most nights in a Grand Villa at the lowest point cost.

BCV and WVL don't have Grand Villas so I wouldn't look at them.

All of the resorts have pools with themed slides and such and many of them have water play areas (and those that don't are slowly getting them).

You can only use the points from the home resort at 11 months out- so if you have 160 BLT, 100 OKW, and 100 AKV- if you were going in Jan(lowest point cost) at 11 months you could book 2 nights at BLT(lake view) (borrowing 8 points from another year), and 2 nights at OKW(6 points leftover)- anmd 1 night at AKV (with 25 points left over over). Once you hit 7 months you could try to move yourself around and get into whichever resort you wanted but you would be competing with all memebers for these rooms. If you are unsuccessful you would be moving and homeless at least every other day. This is only traveling a Sun-Fri as it doesn't even account for weekend nights.

 

[ncjenkins]

When we spoke with a Disney rep. they told us we could use and two bedroom that sleeps 8 or 9 and bring a sleeping bag/air mattress since some of our kiddos are little. We aren't putting three families making 11 people total in a room or anything.
We might prefer a larger one though We will want to watch TV and have some kids sleeping for sure.
Thanks again everyone!!
Liz

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

When we spoke with a Disney rep. they told us we could use and two bedroom that sleeps 8 or 9 and bring a sleeping bag/air mattress since some of our kiddos are little. We aren't putting three families making 11 people total in a room or anything.
We might prefer a larger one though We will want to watch TV and have some kids sleeping for sure.
Thanks again everyone!!
Liz

You might be able to right now (even though I think it breaks the written rules), but DVC is a long-term investment. You will need larger accomodations sooner--unless you oldest ones are close to not taking trips with you....

 

[AirGoofy]

From a specific points perspective, a 5 day studio at OKW is 50 points and a 5 day studio at BLT is 100 points. I didn't look at the Grandvilla points stay. So, if you buy into BLT, you may need twice as many points that for OKW. You also have the option of OKW through re-sale.

Also, you may want to calculate what works better for you. For example, at some resorts, 2 studios are less number of points than a one bedroom. But, you are not guaranteed connecting rooms. So, with 11 people, could you live with a two bedroom and a studio or even 3 non-connecting studios in the same building. And, do you want enough points for 1 trip a year, or 1 trip every other year. Then, you could borrow/bank and buy 1/2 the amount of points.

We own at SSR and enjoy staying at different resorts. However, ownership at SSR is less points than BLT, but more than OKW. Why we like SSR is for downtown disney. You can walk from SSR (or take a boat) to DTD. So, on those non-theme park days, that is really fun to do. Also, boating over for ice cream at Ghiradelli and then walking back to SSR while we eat it is fun. You also have the Treehouse villas. There are many SSR resales available as well.

As for HHI, they have a low number of studios but I am not sure about the larger ones. We have not been able to get June at 7 month, but friends have told us that April and October were booked at 7 month window.

Ultimately, decide what is more important for you. If a particular resort is important, than buy into that one so that you can reserve at the 11 month window. If you are fine with whatever resort and/or combination of rooms, then you have some more flexibility. Good luck with your decision.

 

[ldo]

If you are in a 2 BR that sleeps 9, you can do 1 extra under three. And with units that sleeps 8, MS is allowing a 9th at this time of any age, but not then a 10th under 3. The sales rep is not accurate---you cannot do a total of 11, no matter what ages.
Plus, as others said, it WILL make a difference in a few years. You won't get room keys for the extras, so you can do EMH in the AM or PM, you can get ME for everyone, same for dining plan.
So, you either need a GV, or a 2 BR and a studio (no guarantee they would be near each other). Or, you might consider another timeshare. Some MArriott 3 BRs might sleep 12, as does a Bonnet Creek 4 BR, as another poster indicated. Sorry, but DVC is pretty strict on occupancy past the "1 extra" and I think you are likely to regret buying with the thought of 11 going in a 2 BR.

 

[maburke]

If I can put in my 2 cents - I'd look into OKW resale. Your family is so large that you would need a grand villa. The points at OKW for the grand villa are the smallest of all the resorts and you would need the 11 month booking window to secure it. The pool is very nice there and we loved the tennis and basketball courts right by the main pool.

I absolutely agree with this advice. Looking at dream season, a weeknight is 53 points in an OKW grand villa. That's not much more than a 2BR at BLT (44 for Lake view) where the GV (lake view) is a whopping 93 points. I think you'll want a Grand Villa -- you shouldn't have to be crammed into a 2br, even if they'll let you, which seems unlikely. You'll have to have the home resort advantage for a GV anywhere, and at OKW they're the best value for the points. That's in addition to the fact that you can easily get 230 OKW points for the same price as 160 BLT points.

 

[arthur06]

160 BLT points are going to run around 115 per point, not sure of current incentives... While OKW points will run about 90 per point thru Disney... Cheaper if you buy resale... Since you mentioned that you would finance, I figures you wanted to purchase direct.

You could buy about 200 OKW points for $18,000 and have the 11 month window for a grand villa.

With a family of 11 I would totally look at OKW without hesisation!

 

[Sandisw]

If I were you, I would definitely go with OKW. Your points will go farther there and if you end up ever needing two rooms, those are the biggest ones in the DVC collection. Plus, the studios do have two beds which may work out well for you.

At an extra $25.00/ppt and almost double for a GV at BLT, I think OKW is a better move, both for securing reservations and for cost.

If you buy more than one home resort, you will not be able to combine them until 7 months out so owning 250 - 300 points spread out could prove restrictive in the long run. I am not sure I would do that. I owned two resorts, and realized I could not book my entire trip 11 months out without borrowing from either contract so I sold and now own only BLT.

Good luck!

 

[littlestar]

Here's a link to an auction at Wyndham Bonnet Creek that shows the point chart. In value season you could get a 4 bedroom, 4 bath unit, sleeps 12 for very reasonable points. And in higher seasons you could cut out a Friday or Saturday night and save points. You could probably buy 200,000 to 300,000 resale Wyndham Bonnet Creek points for under $3,500 total. The resort has lazy river pools, slides, and frequent shuttles to the Disney parks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl..._trkparms=algo=LVI&its=I&otn=1#ht_5347wt_1167

 

[Cinderelli]

Good luck with your decision NCJENKS. I'll let you guess who this is.........

And, if you buy - - - we'll have to plan a big group trip. We may have some extra room in our 2 bedroom that we'd be happy to share.

 

[rsschneck]

Since the original poster was asking advice on a DVC membership for a family of 11, I will comment by saying OKW or SSR. We own at both and usually make 7 month ressies using our OKW points unless we want to book a Grand Villa or even give trips away to family/friends. We like the larger accommodations at OKW with the lowest points needed to make a reservation. Our favorite resort is SSR and with the addition of the 3rd themed pool, Tree House villas, second lowest points needed for booking and location to downtown Disney this is our favorite resort. (Although we did stay at BLT last trip and the location was great but those points are a killer).

I would say you will need to book a Grand Villa for most of your stays and those eat up a lot of points so I would look at purchasing OKW or SSR to get the most bang for your buck!

 

[Dean]

We are wanting to buy DVC points and will need to finance them unless we wait a while (and we don't want to. We have a large family (9 kids) so we want a family friendly resort with a great pool etc. since some trips we may not even go into a park possibly. Since our family is large we will need larger accommodations everytime we visit even if everyone can't make the trip, it is still a big group. We have looked at resale and the large point difference between HHI, SSR, OKW etc. and AMV for example. We aren't sure where we'd want as a home(s) for 11 month booking preference at this point. Any recommendations?

We have visted AKV and it was really neat but we visit the zoo where we live often so we weren't that blown away by the critters, the lodge was awesome though

We think BLT is a good investment and have thought of buying in there with the 160 pts. (smallest new member package)and then adding smaller points packages to other resorts (to get more home resorts) that are harder to book to get us up to the 250-300 points we think we need. I know there is some limitations with combining points from other packages but not sure what those are exactly.

We are also trying to keep in mind that if we want to go to HHI in the spring or summer we may want to own there and buy in April or so (?)to even be able to get reservations during that time.

Are we on the right track here with our reasoning?

What resorts would you recommend us owning considering our large family size and the fact we might want 11 month booking ability if they are hard to get into?

I have appreciated being able to wander around this board and read all the great information here!
Thanks for your time!!
Liz

In reality you'll likely need a 3 BR for most trips until some of the kids get out of the house then you may need more or less. If I were going to buy DVC for your situation I'd look at SSR or OKW with any eye to the 3 BR units or Treehouse Villas. However, I agree with Littlestar that you might want to look at non DVC options instead. In addition to Wyndham, you might also want to look at Bluegreen, Hilton and Marriott. Depending on how long you're likely to stay, a 3 BR at Marriott's Grande Vista resale may be your best option as I would expect the 4 BR units at Bonnet Creek to be hard to get and over priced. Also, buying non Orlando and trading in (? for 2 units) will likely be cheaper still.

 

[JimC]

Just a reminder to stay on topic.

For DVC I also advise you to consider three bedroom villas at OKW or SSR. And as others have said the Treehouse Villas at SSR are another possibility.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When we spoke with a Disney rep. they told us we could use and two bedroom that sleeps 8 or 9 and bring a sleeping bag/air mattress since some of our kiddos are little. We aren't putting three families making 11 people total in a room or anything.
We might prefer a larger one though We will want to watch TV and have some kids sleeping for sure.
Thanks again everyone!!
Liz

Nope, not going to happen. Unless you get it in writing from someone other than the guide selling you the points. And by that I mean someone in a position of authority. You'd need that statement notorized and stamped. Even then they could tell you no. Another DIS member is upset because he/she was told they could not have ten in a two bedroom villa by Member Services.

With eleven family members, you would always need a grand villa that sleeps twelve. Even if some of your children are under the age of three, only one will not count towards occupancy. So at a very minimum, until your youngest turns three, you would be a family of ten plus one. That spells GV, only GV.

By the way no studio ever connects to another studio, so if you thought you might make do with three studios, you'd need an adult in each studio. Even then you might be on different floors or different buildings. Studios only connect to one bedroom villas to make a two bedroom lock off.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Good luck on whatever you but but OKW is best option. Please factor in the other travel expenses into your decision, airfare if applicable, Food, tickets....I couldn't imagine this for a family of 9.

 

[Dean]

Good luck on whatever you but but OKW is best option. Please factor in the other travel expenses into your decision, airfare if applicable, Food, tickets....I couldn't imagine this for a family of 9.

I originally read it as a family of 9 also but I think it's actually a family of 11 with 9 kids. As such the ONLY options that will work with DVC are the 3 BR units or multiple units which they could request as being close.

For a week every year in a 3 Br they're looking at 400 or so points. In that situation OKW is certainly the best DVC option but the reality is that off site is likely a much cheaper option that will give better non DVC options. For OKW they'd be looking at $25-30K up front and $2K a year in fees. As comparison they could get a Marriott 3 BR for about 1/3 with slightly over half the yearly fees. BG and Wyndham would be even less but might force them into two 2 BR units instead. Hilton would give 3 BR options and would likely be more than Marriott but less than DVC. Of course if flying, they'd have to consider the cost of the rental car which might negate the lower yearly fees off site but not the lower buy in costs. If going less than 6 days, Marriott drops out currently as a reasonable option but are rumored to be doing a points system opening this summer.

I guess the bottom line is there are no good options for a family of 11 for vacation but then a trip to McDonald's is almost $100 as well.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I guess the bottom line is there are no good options for a family of 11 for vacation but then a trip to McDonald's is almost $100 as well.

The only upside I see is that they would always qualify for the special perks offered to "Family Gathering" groups of 8 or more. They are ALWAYS a family gathering!