Need help from the experts!

[Winky7650]

We just returned from our 1st WDW trip and we are hooked!....is it any wonder? We are going to do the DVC route, but have no idea which resort(s) we should consider.

We stayed 9/16-23 at VWL, and really enjoyed the comforts and privacy, however we were not able to visit the other resorts. Due to distance and work schedules we are not able to visit before we buy, so this will have to be a long distance decision.

We are: Myself 40, DH 38, DS 6. We will most likely be traveling off season (Sept/Oct or Jan/Feb)

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[disneynutz]

 

[crisi]

DVC resorts tend to be busier in the off season than on. October is particularly popular.

I'd look at photos on the internet to get a feel for the resorts. allearsnet.com has some good ones. So does Suite Disney.

Make a list of the attributes you like - then rate how you feel the resort lives up to those attributes. For instance, a lot of people LOVE the location of BWV and BCV. Or they LOVE the big rooms at OKW. Or they LOVE the theming at VWL. Or a zero entry pool is important to them.

Review resales (link at the top of this board).

Finally, a word of caution. If this was your first Disney trip - Disney can become a lifestyle. Its also possible to burn out on it. DVC is a decision best for the first type. Carefully think about your committment to Disney - it can be hard to know if you are the first type or the second after one trip. You may be better off with a few more trips under your belt before you commit. Or maybe not.

 

[DMKEDM]

Wow. It's such a personal decision. And SO many things to consider...But here are some factors that come immediately to (my) mind:

1. Your travel times are not the "most difficult" (depending on whether you want to include a holiday weekend, or do Food & Wine)...if you want to do F&W and be within walking distance of Epcot, then your 11-month home resort advantage at either BCV or BWV will be an important factor. If your travel has to include holiday times (e.g., Presidents Day weekend, Martin Luther King weekend, Marathon weekend) then while you may well find the size accommodations you want at one of the DVC resorts at 7 months out, you may find your 11-month home resort advantage an important factor...if, however, you are flexible about when in Sept/Oct or Jan/Feb you want to go, the 11-month home resort advantage is not as critical a factor.

2. www.disneyworld.com (then click on resorts) will get you to pictures & descriptions of the six DVC resorts at WDW (AKV, BCV, BWV, OKW, SSR and WLV)...that will help you factor in "looks"

3. OKW villas are bigger, and the studios have two beds rather than a bed and a pull-out couch, if that matters to you...

4. OKW and SSR are "dedicated DVC" (CRO does rent villas there to non-DVC guests, but Disney-controlled inventory (as compared to DVC inventory) is limited)...BW, BC, WL and AK all have "regular hotels" attached to them...don't know if that might make a difference to you, but it's worth considering...

5. OKW are more "neighborhood-y" while the others are more "compressed/hotel-like."

6. From SSR you can walk (easily and pleasantly) to DTD (where you can easily catch a bus to another resort). There are lots of dining, shopping and night life options at DTD...From BCV and BWV you can walk to Epcot (and for those who like to walk, to MGM (it's about 3/4 mile to MGM from the front of BWV)...and there's also a huge choice in nightlife and restaurant options at these two resorts...WLV is a short boat-ride to MK, and is close to Wilderness Lodge and its Hoop-de-Doo review, campfire and other activities...some think AK feels a bit isolated...I've not seen anyone say that about OKW (maybe because it's a bit less than a mile of pleasant walk over to SSR and/or DTD? Or that it's connected to DTD and SSR by boat?)...AKV/AKL is about a mile from AK Park--but I don't think there's a way to walk over--and it's not "proximate" to anywhere else at Disney (relatively speaking)...so if you find Disney buses to be an issue, and/or don't want to drive yourselves, you might prefer a resort that has alternative transportation (other than your own car)...but AK does have the animals--many people really love to view the animals on the savannahs...note: BCV & BWV do not have buses going to the front of Epcot...you can walk thru the International Gateway, or take a boat to that "back door" but there's no "from-the-resort" bus service to the front of Epcot (where the monorail is)...

7. Finances: Leaving aside resale, if you are going to buy from Disney, probably your best "deals" can be had by buying SSR or AKV...Disney usually has some sort of incentive (discount or extra points upon purchase) going for those two resorts. They do sell the "sold-out" resorts (points Disney got back from ROFR or foreclosures), but they're top-dollar and I've never seen them availalble w/incentives...Dues are least expensive at SSR...but the variation in dues isn't all that huge (I think the biggest spread is about $1/point...SSR's dues currently are $4.12/point)...

8. Time. SSR and AKV ownership lasts longer (I'm forgetting the numbers now...I think it's 12 years longer for SSR...at your ages, that might matter to you...Disney is now offering OKW owners an extension so their ownerships can go longer, too, and speculation is that this may happen at the other "short-life" resorts (for which ownership still lasts 30+ years!)...for us that simply wasn't a factor at all, so I don't pay too much attention to that detail...

So...those thoughts may get you started...good luck w/your decision...you'll find lots to love about all the DVC resorts (check out the individual resort "lovers and owners" threads!), and given your "prime travel times," it's highly likely you'll be able to choose to stay at all of them at one time or another...so the 11-month home resort advantage may not make that much of a difference to you. If you think you'll be happy "sleeping around" as one of our posters puts it (i.e., it won't matter all that much to you which resort you stay at for any particular trip), then you can choose based on price, or the "emotional feel" one or another of the resorts holds for you.

We wound up buying the great majority of our points at SSR (we own a few at BCV, too)...we loved it and still do...but we also don't really care all that much which resort we stay at...sometimes we prefer one over another, and we do have our favorites, but there's not one we wouldn't be thrilled to stay at for any trip...so for us, it came down to price/cost...

Good luck!

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

You've received great advice so far. Please take your time on this decision.

It can be a rewarding venture/purchase, and deserves ample time to discuss and research.

If and when you do decide, consider purchasing where you think you will stay the most, thus giving you the Home Resort booking advantage of 11 months.


Good Luck!

 

[Winky7650]

Thank you all for the helpful info. I appreciate the advice. As I said, I am just starting the research, so every little bit helps!

 

[icydog]

Wow. It's such a personal decision. And SO many things to consider...But here are some factors that come immediately to (my) mind:

1. Your travel times are not the "most difficult" (depending on whether you want to include a holiday weekend, or do Food & Wine)...if you want to do F&W and be within walking distance of Epcot, then your 11-month home resort advantage at either BCV or BWV will be an important factor. If your travel has to include holiday times (e.g., Presidents Day weekend, Martin Luther King weekend, Marathon weekend) then while you may well find the size accommodations you want at one of the DVC resorts at 7 months out, you may find your 11-month home resort advantage an important factor...if, however, you are flexible about when in Sept/Oct or Jan/Feb you want to go, the 11-month home resort advantage is not as critical a factor.

2. www.disneyworld.com (then click on resorts) will get you to pictures & descriptions of the six DVC resorts at WDW (AKV, BCV, BWV, OKW, SSR and WLV)...that will help you factor in "looks"

3. OKW villas are bigger, and the studios have two beds rather than a bed and a pull-out couch, if that matters to you...

4. OKW and SSR are "dedicated DVC" (CRO does rent villas there to non-DVC guests, but Disney-controlled inventory (as compared to DVC inventory) is limited)...BW, BC, WL and AK all have "regular hotels" attached to them...don't know if that might make a difference to you, but it's worth considering...

5. OKW are more "neighborhood-y" while the others are more "compressed/hotel-like."

6. From SSR you can walk (easily and pleasantly) to DTD (where you can easily catch a bus to another resort). There are lots of dining, shopping and night life options at DTD...From BCV and BWV you can walk to Epcot (and for those who like to walk, to MGM (it's about 3/4 mile to MGM from the front of BWV)...and there's also a huge choice in nightlife and restaurant options at these two resorts...WLV is a short boat-ride to MK, and is close to Wilderness Lodge and its Hoop-de-Doo review, campfire and other activities...some think AK feels a bit isolated...I've not seen anyone say that about OKW (maybe because it's a bit less than a mile of pleasant walk over to SSR and/or DTD? Or that it's connected to DTD and SSR by boat?)...AKV/AKL is about a mile from AK Park--but I don't think there's a way to walk over--and it's not "proximate" to anywhere else at Disney (relatively speaking)...so if you find Disney buses to be an issue, and/or don't want to drive yourselves, you might prefer a resort that has alternative transportation (other than your own car)...but AK does have the animals--many people really love to view the animals on the savannahs...note: BCV & BWV do not have buses going to the front of Epcot...you can walk thru the International Gateway, or take a boat to that "back door" but there's no "from-the-resort" bus service to the front of Epcot (where the monorail is)...

7. Finances: Leaving aside resale, if you are going to buy from Disney, probably your best "deals" can be had by buying SSR or AKV...Disney usually has some sort of incentive (discount or extra points upon purchase) going for those two resorts. They do sell the "sold-out" resorts (points Disney got back from ROFR or foreclosures), but they're top-dollar and I've never seen them availalble w/incentives...Dues are least expensive at SSR...but the variation in dues isn't all that huge (I think the biggest spread is about $1/point...SSR's dues currently are $4.12/point)...

8. Time. SSR and AKV ownership lasts longer (I'm forgetting the numbers now...I think it's 12 years longer for SSR...at your ages, that might matter to you...Disney is now offering OKW owners an extension so their ownerships can go longer, too, and speculation is that this may happen at the other "short-life" resorts (for which ownership still lasts 30+ years!)...for us that simply wasn't a factor at all, so I don't pay too much attention to that detail...

So...those thoughts may get you started...good luck w/your decision...you'll find lots to love about all the DVC resorts (check out the individual resort "lovers and owners" threads!), and given your "prime travel times," it's highly likely you'll be able to choose to stay at all of them at one time or another...so the 11-month home resort advantage may not make that much of a difference to you. If you think you'll be happy "sleeping around" as one of our posters puts it (i.e., it won't matter all that much to you which resort you stay at for any particular trip), then you can choose based on price, or the "emotional feel" one or another of the resorts holds for you.

We wound up buying the great majority of our points at SSR (we own a few at BCV, too)...we loved it and still do...but we also don't really care all that much which resort we stay at...sometimes we prefer one over another, and we do have our favorites, but there's not one we wouldn't be thrilled to stay at for any trip...so for us, it came down to price/cost...

Good luck!

I really enjoyed reading your synopsis. You took a lot of time getting all that information included in a very concise way.

 

[eporter66]

Take your time and read the boards. There is a lot of information, and do your own research.

Give us a few hints - What resorts have you stayed at in WDW? What has been your favorite? I'm not sure off-season is important in being a DVC member.

Here are some things I would suggest:

1. Are you a planner? If so, that is good, because with DVC it works better if you can plan ahead and use the 11 month Window for booking

2. With your DS being 6 - will your trips center around your son, or will you and the wife (family & friends) also use the membership for adult vacations.

3. Themeing is important to some, Location is important to others.

4. Do you rent a car or use the Disney Transportation? Many people have an issue with long bus rides with younger kids, so a resort that is closer to the parks (if you dont rent a car) might be something to think about.

I love DVC, and think it has been a great value for my family. Once you understand how the contract works it is pretty easy. Enjoy and ask anything that comes to your mind, there is a lot of knowledge out here, so use it.

The one thing that most DVC members will tell you is : BUY WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY!

Great advice, even though I am not in 100% agreement with it. My philosophy is that I am lucky enough to be able to afford this for my family. Not that location is not important, but in the scheme of things, you are staying in deluxe accomodations on WDW property. Nothing is really that far away.

All the Resorts are beautiful, and based on individual taste I am sure you will find one you like better than the others. We bought at SSR because it was being sold when we started thinking about buying. The 50 year contract had appeal (give it to the kids), and at the time we bought in at $79 a point. It was perfect for us. We are happy with our decision, and love SSR. We hope to try all the resorts at some point, and honestly dont care where we stay. I do try to check with Member Services, so if a resort we have not tried is available, I will book it

Again - do a lot of reading, and best of luck!