Looking for some advice...

[cbeary29]

Considering resale BLT or AKL...with a possible thought of Wilderness. Any tips or suggestions? Kind of new to this...

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What kind of advice are you looking for?

Have you stayed at all three? They're very different resorts with different advantages and feel. Wilderness may be undergoing significant change as the new Copper Creek Cabins & Villas opens up near there and shares amenities; no one knows if it will be good or bad for the current VWL owners/what they love about the place.

What do you really want to know?

 

[cbeary29]

I guess just general thoughts on what you love and don't love about each. We haven't stayed at all three, but have visited BLT and AKL. Leaning toward BLT because of location and the feeling that we would be able to book SKL at 7 months easier then BLT at 7 months. Someone mentioned recently that we should check out VWL too...

Note...we have a 3 year old and often travel with my parents and will probably use at least a 1 bedroom for a little privacy.

 

[viper17d]

I'm a new poster but kind of in your same situation. We're looking to buy and recently made an offer to buy at VWL that was accepted and we are signing everything up this week (our fingers will be crossed on ROFR!).

I know I'm hardly qualified, but when we were trying to decide where to buy, it ultimately came down to where we wanted to stay and what kind of experience we wanted. We knew being near the Magic Kingdom was priority #1 for us - it's our favorite park by far and having to take a bus kind of ruins the magic for us.

We, too, are wanting to rent 1 bedrooms, so Poly was out. Then, both for us, and our future kids, theme was important - BLT and VGF are both awesome, more updated, and closer to the park, but they just don't have the same level of theme at VWL.

We stayed at BLT for our trip earlier this month and LOVED the location, but we just like being immersed in a theme. Also, since we are treating DVC like a "home away from home", having a place just a bit away from the park that was quiet was also a nice perk.

The obvious downsides to VWL are obviously the 2042 expiry and the potential for VWL2 to de-value the VWL. We liked Wilderness (and the boat ride to MK) when we stayed there and we got a good deal in resale, so we decided to pull the trigger anyway.

But the long story short for you is: pick the one you want to stay at. If theme is important for you, take a good long think about not doing BLT. If being close to the Magic Kingdom is not make-or-break, strongly consider AK - you will get a better deal on resale than BLT or VWL. If you care about theme and want to be close to MK, then think about VWL (of the ones you suggested). If it were me, I'd probably have a hard time buying somewhere I've never seen or stayed, but go with your gut!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If being close to the Magic Kingdom is not make-or-break, strongly consider AK - you will get a better deal on resale than BLT or VWL.

But AKL has the highest annual dues of that trio, and over 25 years, dues outlay will always be more money than your initial purchase.

 

[DizBub]

A couple of really nice features about BLT and AKV Kidani are that the 1 bedrooms have 2 full bathrooms and the sleeper chair in the living rooms. Both resorts are on the opposite ends of the MF spectrum, BLT still currently has the lowest dues and AKV the highest on property. BLT has a higher price per point.

AKV is far from pretty much everything except AK and is a long bus ride to anywhere. BLT is a stroll away from MK and a monorail ride away from other resort hotels and Epcot.

They both have a similar end date.

 

[jedcaum]

But AKL has the highest annual dues of that trio, and over 25 years, dues outlay will always be more money than your initial purchase.

But that still doesn't change the "buy where you want to stay" rule. Much ado is made of AKL dues, and it's true, they are a bit higher than the other Disney resorts. The sheer size of the offerings there is the biggest reason why. If you love the AKL, that's where you should buy. The difference in our annual dues between our 190 pts at AKL and our 160 pts at VWL amounts to maybe $100 per year, and that's on 30 more points. Amortize that over the cheaper up front cost of AKL points, the longer contract duration, etc., etc., and you are looking at like 2043 before it makes any difference at all.

The ONLY resort where dues are really a cost-prohibitive factor, even with the cheaper upfront costs, is VBL. HH is a bad hurricane away from similar problems. Those are two resorts that, unless you want to stay there, you shouldn't purchase points trying to save money.

But all in all, this is a luxury purchase, so trying to save a few dollars between AKL if that's where you really want to be (The savannah views are AWESOME, so very relaxing, and in our opinion, well worth the price of admission) and another resort you don't love as much really makes no sense at all.

 

[viper17d]

Absolutely agree with what everyone else says. AKV definitely has the higher dues (and that extends your time to payback) but don't make your decision solely on that. Go with where you think you want to stay - with what makes sense to you. If I loved Animal Kingdom and the Savannah views, I wouldn't think twice about buying there.

For me, being near Magic Kingdom with a theme I liked was the #1 factor. Your #1 factor could be something completely different - just figure out what that is and figure out which resort works best. Going with where you want to stay is always the best course of action.

 

[supersnoop]

Unless you want the value or club rooms, there's no good reason (in my opinion) to buy AKV. Considering the dues and length of contract, I believe BLT is the second best value available (second to SSR). Of the options you listed, I'd buy BLT.

Of course, I own BLT, so I might be biased. But I also own BWV and SSR.

 

[Karabear15]

Not sure if you are aware, but Disney changed their policies recently...If you purchase DVC through an outside source, you do not qualify for some of the member benefits. I don't recall all of them, we received a letter about a month or so ago. This is what it states on our dashboard DVC site...

You should not purchase or add on real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club Resort in reliance upon the continued availability or renewal or extension of these offers. These offers may only be available to Members at various times and may or may not be renewed or extended. Membership Extras, such as vacation options in the Disney and Concierge Collections, certain discounts, offers, and special events are incidental benefits. These incidental benefits are subject to change or termination without notice, may require the payment of a fee and cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions. Membership Extras are also subject to availability and block–out dates may apply, including high periods of demand such as Christmas and New Year’s Day. To receive any Membership Extras, purchasers must present a valid Disney Vacation Club Membership Card along with a corresponding valid photo ID. Disney and Concierge Collections options are not available for ownership interests not purchased directly from Disney Vacation Development, Inc. after March 21, 2011, and, effective April 4, 2016, Members who do not purchase an ownership interest directly from Disney Vacation Development Inc. will not have access to Membership Extras.

In case having these extras is something of importance to you, I wouldn't suggest going through resale then.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

But that still doesn't change the "buy where you want to stay" rule.

Absolutely not, but the up-front question here made no real suggestion of a preference for AKV as "preferred landing point." It was BLT or AKV or maybe VWL. Which, Imma gonna stick to my original statement: Three entirely different resorts and vibes.

 

[jedcaum]

Unless you want the value or club rooms, there's no good reason (in my opinion) to buy AKV. Considering the dues and length of contract, I believe BLT is the second best value available (second to SSR). Of the options you listed, I'd buy BLT.

Of course, I own BLT, so I might be biased. But I also own BWV and SSR.

By how much, exactly? The cost differentials of all the DVC resorts on property are a matter of degree over the life of the contract, especially if you amortize for each one night stay costs. So you may be technically right, but having the absolute best deal by a dollar here or there doesn't matter to everyone making a luxury purchase. Having what you want matters more.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

By how much, exactly? The cost differentials of all the DVC resorts on property are a matter of degree over the life of the contract, especially if you amortize for each one night stay costs. So you may be technically right, but having the absolute best deal by a dollar here or there doesn't matter to everyone making a luxury purchase. Having what you want matters more.

It's not quite a dollar or two over life-of-contract.

BLT right now is at 5.28something per point. AKV is $6.42something. So, for 100 points in 2016, the dues difference is $114. Assuming 2% each year in dues increase, over 10 years (2016-2026), the difference in dues on that 100 points is nearly $1400.

Now, sure, annual dues increase can vary from 1-5% or so and maybe BLT has a sudden increase hit, but they are starting lower so at a normal pace of increase the dues remain less.

Over 20 years, the amount paid in dues on 100 points will be more than initial buy-in of those points.

In general, new buyers need to take into account the running costs of buy-in, and not just cost-per-point. Otherwise, Vero Beach looks better than it is for anyone other than those who actually want to stay at VB 3 stays out of 4.

 

[jedcaum]

Yes, the amount paid in dues over the life of a contract will be more than the initial buy-in - well over 3x more, in fact. But when comparing resorts AT DisneyWorld, the difference between dues at one place and dues at another is so minimal that it's almost meaningless as a portion of that very big number, is my point. That's why I said the "DVC resorts on property" in my post.

When you factor in a much lower buy-in cost for points at AKL, the difference is even less.

Go ahead, sing the praises of BLT. You like it. It doesn't make it inherently better than the other resorts, and it's low dues will almost certainly rise as every other resort's has over time.

 

[Supplanter]

The difference in our annual dues between our 190 pts at AKL and our 160 pts at VWL amounts to maybe $100 per year, and that's on 30 more points.

Huh?
Akl is 6.42 (190)= 1220
Vwl is 6.02 (160)= 963

Btw, the whole list of dues is here:

Resort/2015 Dues/2016 Dues/ Increase
Animal Kingdom Villas $6.2989 $6.4152 +1.84%
Aulani $6.5100 $6.7913 +4.32%
Bay Lake Tower $5.0504 $5.2830 +4.61%
Beach Club Villas $5.9748 $6.1277 +2.60%
BoardWalk Villas $6.0735 $6.1753 +1.67%
Grand Californian $5.1483 $5.3730 +4.36%
Grand Floridian $5.5216 $5.7119 +3.45%
Hilton Head $6.5190 $6.8153 +4.55%
Old Key West $5.8370 $6.0107 +2.98%
Polynesian $6.0251 $6.0937 +1.14%
Saratoga Springs $5.1749 $5.4391 +5.11%
Vero Beach $8.0600 $8.0846 +0.31%
Wilderness Lodge $6.0251 $6.2152 +3.16%

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

One also needs to consider the points per night of the rooms to get the total cost of a resort if they intend to stay there most trips. AKV has some of the lowest point rooms in the value category although that is a small category. But the standard category is much larger and also relatively lower points.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I am not singing the praises of BLT. Please do not mistake me for a BLT owner.

of the three resorts listed in the OP, AKV and VWL are more similar to each other than either is to BLT.

OP expressed no particular bias or preference.

Which means cost of buy-in and annualized cost of ownership are relevant to consider, if all else is truly equal.

 

[jedcaum]

I meant $200. Looks like $270. Guess I'm an idiot and everything I said was useless. I'm sorry.

 

[supersnoop]

By how much, exactly? The cost differentials of all the DVC resorts on property are a matter of degree over the life of the contract, especially if you amortize for each one night stay costs. So you may be technically right, but having the absolute best deal by a dollar here or there doesn't matter to everyone making a luxury purchase. Having what you want matters more.

My general valuation formula is quite simple: ((Price / Years Remaining) + (Current Maintenance Fees)) = (Annualized Net Present Value).

I just re-ran my numbers. I had to make some assumptions on price. Years remaining should fluctuate based on whether a resale contract is stripped or loaded. Strangely enough, AKV came out as the third-best value. The largest gaps are between each of the first three, and then again between HH and VWL.

Obviously, there are non-monetary factors that come into play, so every decision should be weighted accordingly.

 

[Supplanter]

I meant $200. Looks like $270. Guess I'm an idiot and everything I said was useless. I'm sorry.

Lol it's cool, I was just confused by what you meant.