Looking to buy first DVC Resort (BWV) and have Resale Questions.

[JimFitz]

Hi everyone. I am new here and am also new to DVC. I have not yet purchsed an interest, but a friend at work recently purchased SSR and he is very happy (he is going in October).

Ok, so my questions....

My wife and I are looking at resales and we really love the Boardwalk . We have never stayed there (I haven't been to Disney in 23 Yrs!!). We just fell in love with the boardwal from the DVC video and the virtual tour on the net. Do they really have entertainers like that on the boardwalk everyday? Does anyone know any good resale sites? I am very interested and will most likely be purchasing in the next two months. My friend is tellling me to buy at SSR since it is good for 50yrs. He says I can book at any resort (with the 7/11 rule of course).

Is it hard to book at the Boardwalk if you are at SSR? Should I just go resale and look for someone selling Boardwalk? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Ok..I'll stop rambling.

 

[tjkraz]

The easiest advice to give is to buy where you want to stay. Buying at the Boardwalk gives you a 4 month booking advantage, which can be particularly important at that resort. BWV has "Standard" view rooms which cost fewer points on a nightly basis than "Preferred" view rooms, but other than that the accommodations are identical. And there are also the cherished Boardwalk view rooms.

Either of these room classes can be very difficult to book at the 7 month window.

That said, I can think of a couple of reasons for you to consider SSR:

1. If you do not (or cannot) plan your vacations more than 7 months ahead of time, then your Home really doesn't matter.

2. If the additional years on the SSR contract (50 vs. 38 at BWV) are important to you.

Given the info you provided, I think you've got a fairly tough decision on your hands. Since you have never stayed at (or even seen in person) a DVC resort, there's probably just as good a chance you will like a different resort equally well after you have stayed there.

If it were me, I'd first decide how important the duration of the contract is. If you are of an age where the 50 years will be beneficial to you (or if you see yourself willing it to children), then you should at least give consideration to SSR. While resale prices are cheaper than SSR, I think the additional cost is more than justified (at least financially) when you add in the additional years. The SSR contract is almost 1/3 longer than all of the other resorts.

At present, the annual dues at SSR are also cheaper than BWV.

That said, if the additional years are of no use or interest to you, then it sounds like BWV is your resort.

Difficulty in booking BWV? I only have one experience to share. We booked a One Bedroom (Preferred, non-Boardwalk view) in May on about 75 days notice. We had also waitlisted for a Studio, and the waitlist came through about 2 weeks later.

Again, odds of getting Standard or Preferred Boardwalk view on 7 months are not great. But I think the odds of getting ANY room at 7 months most times of year are good.

Entertainers? I've probably been to the Boardwalk 3 times and have never seen the roaming entertainers. But all of my visits were during the day--could be they don't come out until later at night. Someone else will certainly give you a better answer.

 

[JimFitz]

Thanks for the reply. You offered some great advice. The 50 yrs is a definate plus.

I noticed that SSR is now $95 a point!!!! Do you know if DVC is willing to negotiate? I think I am going to try an call them, tell them my friend referred me and then see if they can give me the same deal they gave him in December. I don't know if they will do it, but it's worth a try!

 

[Cruelladeville]

The entertainers come around dinner time, so they are out from 5-10 or so. They are not constant, though. My kids love the games on the boardwalk, which open around 2 PM. Everything is closed by 11 PM because the boardwalk rooms get the noise, and most everyone is in bed early enough that they can get up early the next morning to get to the parks.

The difference between BWV and SSR rooms is cosmetic, but it does give a completely different feel to the resort. As was already mentioned, a lot depends on your age. If you are much over 40, don't bother paying the extra $$ for SSR because you won't get to use most of it. Don't even consider passing it on to your kids---DVC has expensive dues, so passing it on to your kids may be a real financial crunch for them. I am in that situation--neither of my kids can afford $1200 a year in dues, so I have 300 points for each child that will impose a financial burden that I never intended when I bought the points.

For resales, the Timeshare Store, which is listed at the top of this board, is the best there is. They do the lion's share of DVC business.

 

[tjkraz]

No, they will not negotiate. The price just went up from $89 to $95 earlier this week.

However you can take advantage of the Magical Beginnings program which allows you to forfeit your first year's points in exchange for a $10 per point credit. That would take your cost down to $85 per point, but you would not receive any points to use until 2005.

You could still borrow your 2005 points and use them in 2004, but that will put you in the hole (so to speak) from the get-go.

I probably shouldn't tell you that when SSR first went on sale back in August, the net cost was as low as $79 per point, and that didn't require giving up any points. As you can see, DVC is doing fairly well these days.

The good news is that if you live in a state where referral bonuses are permitted, your friend could need a couple hundred Disney Dollars if you buy. So do make sure you mention him in the FIRST call you place to DVC.

With regard to the overall resort decision, keep your eyes on this thread. I bet you'll get a few more points-of-view before the night is out.

 

[Skip Wiley]

I just got done going through the process of trying to decide where to buy, and finally decided on BWV. Everyone makes a good point, it's really a personal preference, we took the advice of "buy where you want to stay" because if we would ever decide to go during a busy time for DVC members we'd have the 11- month reservation advantage.

I really don't think you can make a bad choice no matter what you choose. If you do decide to buy resale don't go by what's listed on the resaler websites. I wanted a 200 pt BWV contract and there were none listed, when I started calling to get put on a waiting list a 200 pt. BWV contract just came in to one of the resalers, I made a bid and it was accepted, that contract never made it to the website.

Best of luck!

 

[Simba's Mom]

In the entertainers' contracts (at least this is what a juggler told me), it says that they don't have to entertain outdoors if it's below 50 degrees. So you know what they do? They'll entertain right in the BWV lobby! One December evening I happened upon a juggler entertaining a group of people in the BWV lobby. He was very talented and enjoyable. Made a nice touch!

 

[Cruelladeville]

I just got an email from my rep that said that they are extending the $89 price and Magical Beginnings, so the price on SSR is still $79 if you take advantage of the Magical Beginnings. It's not something I am interested in, but my DH did note that it is about the same cost as a resale of a small contract, with less hassle. I think he thought we should get points there, but I am determined to get OKW.

 

[mikesmom]

I got a message from Disney, too, but I believe that lower rate is ONLY if you are already a member. Someone buying in new will have to accept the higher rate.

We own at the Boardwalk and truly love it! Plenty of great places to eat, people watching, and the entertainers are great fun! Walking into Epcot or MGM is a HUGE plus. I agree with earlier posters, you need to buy where you want to stay, but consider if you are fairly young, you may get longer use out of the SSR 50 years. Only you can decide that.

As for the 7-11 issue, the following times can be difficult lto book at BWV at the 7 month window:
- Early December (low points, Christmas decorations, difficult at 7 months at ALL the DVC resorts)
- October/November: Food & Wine Fest at Epcot. Great fest, easy to walk in (and stumble home) from BWV and BCV
-any holiday books quickly at all the resorts

If I have forgotten any, I'm sure someone can fill in the blanks.

 

[goofy4dvc]

The entertainers seem to be out more on Friday and Saturday evenings than Sunday through Thursday. The week we stayed there (in a boardwalk view room), they had barbershop type singers in old-time baseball uniforms that were very good. Also magician type acts.

One other difference between BWV and SSR would be parking. At BWV, the parking lot is quite a hike and we usually use valet parking. However, at OKW and SSR, you can park very close to your door because there is parking at each building. Occasionally, we take trips where we golf, etc. and don't go to the parks. When we do, then it's nice to stay somewhere where you can get to your car easy. But when we do the park thing, we prefer to stay at BCV or BWV so we have easy access to Epcot and MGM.

If you decide to purchase SSR, you can make reservations at SSR within your 11 month window, then at 7 months out you can check availability of BWV and switch if there is availability. If not, you can waitlist. Chances are you will get what you want. If not, you will still have your original reservation to fall back on.

Availability will also depend on the time of year you want to go. Summers, holidays, and spring breaks will be much more difficult to get at the 7 month window. Also May and October will be more difficult to get because of the proximity to Epcot (Flower Festival and Wine and Food Festival).

I like all the resorts and have some resorts that I prefer based on the time of year, the type of trip we're taking, etc. So, I'm happy just to be at WDW no matter where I'm staying.

If you definitely prefer one over the other, you'll probably be happiest if you purchase the one you prefer.

 

[JimFitz]

Thanks for all the info. I am most likely going with BWV. I will be buying very soon.

 

[kathleena]

Definately buy where you want to stay. If you really want to stay at BW and you bought SSR and DVC discontinues resort-hopping or decreases the 7 month window - would you be just as happy staying there?

And the Boardwalk Buskers - they are out at night, there are not as many as there were, and they may just be out on certain nights. A year or so ago, they reduced it to a few nights per week. Not sure if that has changed.

 

[HorizonsFan]

Everything is closed by 11 PM because the boardwalk rooms get the noise

Unless you have very sensitive hearing, you won't notice any noise in your room. The ESPN Club, Atlantic Dance and Jellyrolls are all open past 11:00.

 

[robinb]

Originally posted by JimFitz
My wife and I are looking at resales and we really love the Boardwalk . We have never stayed there (I haven't been to Disney in 23 Yrs!!).

Am I the only one who caught this?!? You have not been to WDW in 23 years, but you are planning to buy a DVC timeshare. This just does not make any sense to me. Before you sign on the dotted line I would suggest that you plan a trip to WDW and see if a yearly WDW vacation is really for you. You can rent points over on the rental board for about $10 per point and plan on staying at BWV for a week to try the place out. While you're there you can allow the DVC salespeople to give you their dog and pony show.

Also ... if you are planning to use your DVC points primarily at other places than at WDW, I would suggest that you look into a different timeshare. It is my opinion that non-WDW vactions are not cost effective.

 

[JimFitz]

Originally posted by robinb
Am I the only one who caught this?!? You have not been to WDW in 23 years, but you are planning to buy a DVC timeshare. This just does not make any sense to me. Before you sign on the dotted line I would suggest that you plan a trip to WDW and see if a yearly WDW vacation is really for you. You can rent points over on the rental board for about $10 per point and plan on staying at BWV for a week to try the place out. While you're there you can allow the DVC salespeople to give you their dog and pony show.

Also ... if you are planning to use your DVC points primarily at other places than at WDW, I would suggest that you look into a different timeshare. It is my opinion that non-WDW vactions are not cost effective.

Robin - Very well put, but this is more for the children and wife, than it is for me. I like to vacation and just sit around and read or sit by the pool and relax. I also love the option to Golf, eat at good restaraunts and take in some sights. When looking at Timeshares, we noticed that Disney offered everything in one location. I also love Disney characters and they way my kids light up when the see Mickey or Donald on TV. I am sure I will be happy with Disney.