Need Suggestions

[ut*disney]

We are a family of four (two adults and two 7-year old boy/girl twins). We just got back from our fourth family trip to Disney today. Our first vacation was July 4, 2006 (All Star Movies), Christmas 2007 (All Star Movies), Christmas 2008 (All Star Sports), Spring Break 2010 (Port Orleans French Quarter).

Our children are school-aged; my husband is a teacher/coach, so we go on vacation during school holidays or the summer. We usually stay for 6 nights/7 days. Our favorite parks are Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. In fact, those are the only parks we have gone to three out of the four trips.

We are interested in purchasing a DVC (resale). I attended a DVC preview and have been watching the DVC resales for quite some time.

Here are the things we like and that are important to our family, in no particular order:

1. Transportation to/from the parks (we stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter this last time and LOVED it! we had ONE bus for our resort...didn't have to share with any other resort...it was FANTASTIC!!!!)

2. Proximity (Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are our favorite parks)

3. Food ( which has better counter-service/restaurants, refillable drink stations, etc. for our previous vacations, we have used the dining plan, ate breakfast at the resort, headed to the parks, ate character meals)

4. Pool (we want a "kid-friendly" pool with a great slide for the kiddos.)

Questions:

If we want to add on points, do we have to go through resale since we purchased a property through resale?

Which DVC would you suggest for a family of 4 with small children?

Will it matter which use year the resale has?

Thanks!

 

[CarolAnnC]

Hi and welcome to the DIS!

From reading your list of "likes" I would guess that BLT would be great for your family! Problem is, not sure if you will find anything in resale at a better price than the incentives being offered since it is so new.

No, you do not have to add on only via resale if your original purchase is a resale. Makes no difference.

BLT has the close proximity (walking distance ) to the MK that I loved. It is also close to the monorail which puts you at the GF and Poly quickly.

Otherwise, you may want to check out WLV resales as that is close to the MK as well (a short boat ride).

Best of luck to you and welcome again to the DIS!

 

[ut*disney]

Even though I'm "young" (although my 7-year olds think I am ancient). Forgive me because I do not know all of the "shorthand" and texting symbols. I have to spell it all out. We previewed the Bay Lake Towers and the Animal Kingdom Villas. I did like the look of the Animal Kingdom Villas better than the Bay Lake Towers; however, I like the closeness of the Bay Lake Towers better than the Animal Kingdom Villas.

While I was at the preview, they offered some incentives, but after looking at the resale, it is still several thousand dollars cheaper to purchase a resale.

 

[rlovew]

Bay Lake Towers was suggested as it is closest to the Magic Kingdom. It is not really any lower than resale once you add in the closing costs and such as it is so new.

If you want something near Hollywood Studio both the Beach Club (best pool on property) or Boardwalk Villas would work. From each of those you will have a shared bus ride to the parks not near them, but you have lots of food options.

The cheapest on site resale is normally Saratoga Springs but other than you want for good pools- all of the DVC resorts have pools with slides and many of them have water play areas as well. This does not meet any of your other wishes- choices for food (1 counter and 1 table service only), near parks, while it doesn't share buses with other resorts it has numerous stops around the resort itself.

Wilderness Lodge was also suggested as it is also near the Magic Kingdom- it would be less than Bay Lake to purchase but not as inexpensive Saratoga Springs.

I suggest you look on the boards at the threads about each of the resorts and see what apeals to you.

 

[katied]

I would also consider BCV. BLT is great for getting to MK - you can just walk. BCV - you can take the boat or walk to both DHS and Epcot (Epcot you enter by the UK - and the nice thing is if you have a hopper pass, you can then also expand your food options to the countries at Epcot). The walk to Epcot is about 5 min, and maybe 15 min to DHS.

I think the pool area at BCV is great for kids (at least kids who are a bit older than my DS, as it's a bit spread out to keep track of a toddler). You then have the whole Boardwalk area for food options, between BC, YC and BW (as well as the Swan and Dolphin). You do have to take a bus to MK, but this was never that big of a hassle for us (we own at BWV and BLT - I suggest BCV because it has a better pool than BWV).

BCV you can get for a better price resale than BLT. You could always consider an addon to BLT at some point, and then consider split stays - so 3 nites at each place, and then focus on MK while your at BLT and DHS while your at BCV.

In terms of UY, I think the general recommendation is to consider that if you cancel at the 30 or 60 day window, can you still bank your points. Others understand how this works far better than me. We book all different times of the year - Sept, Oct, Dec, Jan, May... so there's no real "best" UY for us. But, if you post a simple question - If I take vacations every year during MONTH X, what is the best UY, the experts will weigh in and let you know.

 

[ut*disney]

"In terms of UY, I think the general recommendation is to consider that if you cancel at the 30 or 60 day window, can you still bank your points. Others understand how this works far better than me. We book all different times of the year - Sept, Oct, Dec, Jan, May... so there's no real "best" UY for us. But, if you post a simple question - If I take vacations every year during MONTH X, what is the best UY, the experts will weigh in and let you know."

We took our first vacation July 4th. Even though we live in Texas, it was WAY too hot. We took our second and third vacations during Christmas. We LOVE Disney during Christmas! The decorations. Everything. It is truly magical. But OMG it is SO crowded!!!! My husband was not coaching baseball this year (first time in 6 years) so we were able to take our first vacation during Spring Break. (This probably will never happen again. We loved the fact there was virtually nobody at the parks, but we did not like the fact the parks closed at 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.)

We generally take our vacations during Thanksgiving, Christmas, or June. I have heard we HAVE to go to the Halloween party, so we would like to try that.

If we generally vacation in December, when would our use year need to be? If we want to vacation in June, when would our use year need to be?

I don't think I have asked what you wanted me to, but I'm not really sure exactly how to do so.

 

[ut*disney]

Another question I forgot to ask. Do any of you use the dining plan? Or do you cook in your rooms?

I am trying to figure out if it actually going to be cheaper to buy into DVC. My thinking, we'd pay $700 dining plan/year, $700 park tickets, $1000/year dues. That's about what we pay to stay in a moderate resort for a family of four with the dining plan for 6-7 nights.

So I am trying to figure out where is the savings? I know it has to be there because there are so many people that are DVC owners.

 

[gianjoe]

Another question I forgot to ask. Do any of you use the dining plan? Or do you cook in your rooms?

I am trying to figure out if it actually going to be cheaper to buy into DVC. My thinking, we'd pay $700 dining plan/year, $700 park tickets, $1000/year dues. That's about what we pay to stay in a moderate resort for a family of four with the dining plan for 6-7 nights.

So I am trying to figure out where is the savings? I know it has to be there because there are so many people that are DVC owners.

I'd say that you have to be in this for the long haul to make this a breakeven on just booking at the All Star hotel. We use the kitchens too, makes more sense.

My wife and I bought a resale, we strongly recommend this. I got a deal on BCV, I didn't really think about use year when I bought, it matters if you are trying to book in advance and want the 11 month window. We booked BLT 7 months in advance and did fine with that.

That said, I think you will be happy with any of the pools and restaurants that Disney has to offer. I would invite you to check out Beach Club, its pretty neat, the pools have sand to make it like a beach.

Overall I would analyze how much you'd go, we live 45 minutes from the parks which is my style of traveling on vacation.

 

[ut*disney]

I've looked at the pictures on some websites of the BCV (assuming this stands for Beach Club Villas), but did not get to see pictures of their pool.

I'd say that you have to be in this for the long haul to make this a breakeven on just booking at the All Star hotel. We use the kitchens too, makes more sense.

My wife and I bought a resale, we strongly recommend this. I got a deal on BCV, I didn't really think about use year when I bought, it matters if you are trying to book in advance and want the 11 month window. We booked BLT 7 months in advance and did fine with that.

That said, I think you will be happy with any of the pools and restaurants that Disney has to offer. I would invite you to check out Beach Club, its pretty neat, the pools have sand to make it like a beach.

Overall I would analyze how much you'd go, we live 45 minutes from the parks which is my style of traveling on vacation.

I went to Disney when I was a little child. It was fantastic. We live in Southeast Texas, but have taken our children to Disney every year since they were 4 years old. We all LOVE Disney so much and cannot wait until our next vacation and we just returned home from Disney today!

 

[pnyltwk]

Another question I forgot to ask. Do any of you use the dining plan? Or do you cook in your rooms?

I am trying to figure out if it actually going to be cheaper to buy into DVC. My thinking, we'd pay $700 dining plan/year, $700 park tickets, $1000/year dues. That's about what we pay to stay in a moderate resort for a family of four with the dining plan for 6-7 nights.

So I am trying to figure out where is the savings? I know it has to be there because there are so many people that are DVC owners.

What I like about DVC is having the ability to stay in SUITES (one, two and three bedrooms) and not have to pay anything out of pocket. When we first bought in to DVC I knew that the initial cost was considerable. We bought in to SSR with a 150 point contract. We financed through our local credit union and paid it off in the first two years. We have added on twice since and today have 225 points at SSR.
Yes we pay annual dues that are equivalent to what we use to pay for rooms at the moderates for the length of our stay. Bit we are not staying at the moderates. The DVC suites are so much more spacious. We have taken family and friends twice to WDW and they stayed with us on the house. What a treat to be able to do that.
We have a March use year. I did not understand UY when we joined. There are others that will say UY is very important. I would say from my own experience that it really does not matter. We have never had to cancel a reservation in the past six years. And if we had to then we would just reschedule or use the points elsewhere with an exchange. We originally planned to vacation in March at the beginning of our membership. But that has since changed. Today we plan most of our trips during off season because of the weather and the crowds.
No we have never used the dining plan. We eat the parks during the day for lunch but do the majority of our meals in the room. I know that saves our family a considerable of money.
Our only regret is that we did not buy in sooner. Good Luck.

 

[ut*disney]

Let's say I purchase 200 at Animal Kingdom Villas with a use year of April. Then later add on 50 at the Wilderness Lodge with a use year of September.

Would we be able to use all 250 points to book one vacation? Or would we have to book two separate vacations? (one at Animal Kingdom and one at Wilderness Lodge)

 

[paults]

Let's say I purchase 200 at Animal Kingdom Villas with a use year of April. Then later add on 50 at the Wilderness Lodge with a use year of September.

Would we be able to use all 250 points to book one vacation Or would we have to book two separate vacations? (one at Animal Kingdom and one at Wilderness Lodge)

your pts are good only at your home resort at 11 months. at 7 months you can combine them .
you can book AKV with your 200 pts at 11 months and at 7 months you can add on to your trip with yous 50 pts from vwl

 

[pnyltwk]

Let's say I purchase 200 at Animal Kingdom Villas with a use year of April. Then later add on 50 at the Wilderness Lodge with a use year of September.

Would we be able to use all 250 points to book one vacation? Or would we have to book two separate vacations? (one at Animal Kingdom and one at Wilderness Lodge)

From my perspective I would want all of my points at the same resort unless you plan to resort hop during your stay. From past experience I like to stay at one resort for the duration of the stay. Changing resorts sucksss. But that of course is up to you. I have never quite understood why anyone would want a 50 point cotract here and a 50 point contract there all with different use years. Of course we have never stayed in a studio since joining. Once we experienced the one bedroom villa we have never looked back. We currently stay in two bedroom villas at the least. Our kid's are older and do not enjoy a week on the pull out couch. So a 50 point contract does not make much sense to me. I can't stay anywhere on 50 points more than two nights.

 

[Gregowa]

Another point to consider is that as your children get older your needs will change. Right now MK and DHS are your main focus but as the children age, their interests will change. DH and I own our points at AKV and are very happy there. Bus service is great to all the parks making the proximity of any particular park a non issue. We have found that AKV seems to fit everyone -from families with young children to "senior" adults. There is appeal that spans all ages. Buy where you want to stay so you can book at the 11 month mark. DVC is a long term vacation interest that lasts for 50 years. The initial costs are more but once it is paid for, you have years of vacationing in deluxe accomodations that are paid for with the exception of yearly dues which are negligible compared to what it costs to stay deluxe with a package or room only for cash.
We also always use the standard dining plan. It works well for us and is more food than most people can consume in a day. I am not a proponent of cooking when I am on vacation -however, it is possible to fix all your meals or just part of them in the villa if you get a 1BR or larger and have a full kitchen. If you are in a studio, you have the option of doing quick fix things that can be done in the microwave or toaster, as well as cereal, etc. I like to use snack credits to get pastries (cinnamon rolls from MK Bakery - Yummmmm!!) to take back to our "home" for breakfast the next AM. I usually get these as we are leaving the park in the evening. You just have to find what works best for you and your family within the means of your budget. I hope this helps!

 

[momhmmx2]

I think first you need to ask yourselves if you will book your trip 11 months in advance? or is 7 months or less what you normally do? I have never had a problem finding a room somewhere at Disney 7 months or less out! But I am willing to take that risk

If you will plan you vacation 11 months out (which is important at busy times of year say Thanksgiving and Christmas/New year) then purchasing at where you want to stay is important.

HOWEVER, if you are like me, and never plan that far in advance then I would purchase at SSR or OKW. WHY?? they have some of the lowest MF's (maintenance fees) (those yearly dues) and there are some really well priced contracts available on the resale market ($65-72/per point)

Also, I own at SSR but really don't care where on property I stay..To me I'm staying at Disney and that is what is most important to me!

We enjoy the 1 bedrooms (family of 4) for several reasons.
*Ability to stretch out!
*Washer and Dryer in room means you can pack less and possibly avoid airline baggage fees!
*Ability to cook (we eat breakfast in the room and maybe dinner 1-2X that saves us lots of $$$$ so no need for the dining plan) You will need to do the math for your family though.

Good luck in your search for what is best for your family

 

[pnyltwk]

"In terms of UY, I think the general recommendation is to consider that if you cancel at the 30 or 60 day window, can you still bank your points.

Once you use points to reserve a room if you cancel then you have until the end of your UY to use them (even if they were borrowed) or they will expire. Once points are used banking is not an option. Anyone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[ut*disney]

So if I book a vacation, but need to cancel, I have to use those points during the year. Is that correct?

Are you limited on how many times you can borrow? For example, let's say I borrowed 2011 points for a 2010 trip. In 2011, can I borrow 2012 points? Or do I have to wait until a certain time?

We like the looks of the Animal Kingdom Villas, but cannot really afford to buy enough points on resale right now to be able to stay in a 1-bedroom villa during the Premier Season. If we were to travel during the Dream or Magic Seasons, we might be okay. We only have enough to buy 200 points at the moment. I noticed Animal Kingdom would cost 242 during dream season for the week; however, if we checked in on a Sunday and checked out on a Friday, we would be able to stay in a 1-bedroom for 196...but we would not be able to have the Savanna view.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Here are some very important questions:
1) Do you care when your membership expires? Some resorts have a 2042 expiration date, others 2054 - 2060.
2) Will you book your reservations more than 7 months in advance? If you plan on booking 8 -11 months out, buy the resort you want. If not, buy the longest membership at the cheapest price. At the 7 month window, you can book at any resort.
3) What kind of vacation are you looking for? Something that puts you in the middle of the action (BWV, BCV, BLT) or something that is more relaxing (OKW, SSR, VWL, AKV)?
4) Do you prefer condo-style rooms (something where you feel like you're in an apartment or condo like OKW or SSR), or something that feels much more like a hotel (AKV, VWL, BLT, BCV, BWV)?
5) Are you frugal? I know that sounds like a funny question, but if you are and your goal is to stretch your points for as many trips/nights as possible, some resorts have lower points requirements than others. This is true for maintenance fees as well. MFs run from $3-something per point all the way up through high $6 per point.
6) Where are you from? This may play a role in what resort you may prefer. I have read some people say that they live in FL, so the last thing that appeals to them is a Florida-themed resort like OKW. Others have said that they live out west, so VWL doesn't appeal to them. Being an OH girl all my life, the lobby of WL still takes my breath away, and I could live the rest of my days happy as a clam at OKW.
7) When will you travel? We travel during the summer and spring break - DH is a teacher. I know you mentioned that you travel around school schedules as well. So, at Easter, we're using a ton of points to stay. We wanted to buy as many points as possible, and location was less important to us.

Here are some sites that can help you with your research:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/
http://allears.net/acc/faq_hot.htm
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm

Best of luck deciding. All I can say is we purchased in 2007, and like so many others on here, I wished I had understood more about it and had purchased sooner. To give you an example, we had paid to stay in a 1-BR at OKW right before we purchased. We could have taken that same $1600+ dollars, applied it to our purchase price, and stayed there anyway! Instead, we paid for the vacation, and then turned around and joined!

DVC is not for everyone, but it has sure been wonderful for us, and continues to be!

 

[pnyltwk]

So if I book a vacation, but need to cancel, I have to use those points during the year. Is that correct?

Are you limited on how many times you can borrow? For example, let's say I borrowed 2011 points for a 2010 trip. In 2011, can I borrow 2012 points? Or do I have to wait until a certain time?

We like the looks of the Animal Kingdom Villas, but cannot really afford to buy enough points on resale right now to be able to stay in a 1-bedroom villa during the Premier Season. If we were to travel during the Dream or Magic Seasons, we might be okay. We only have enough to buy 200 points at the moment. I noticed Animal Kingdom would cost 242 during dream season for the week; however, if we checked in on a Sunday and checked out on a Friday, we would be able to stay in a 1-bedroom for 196...but we would not be able to have the Savanna view.

Yes, once you have used the points for a reservation and if you have to cancel then those points are placed in a holding account and have to be used by the end of the current UY or they will expire even if they were borrowed from the next UY.
Once you bank points to the next UY they can not be borrowed or brought back in to the current UY.
Typically you can borrow from the next UY only. However, if you make a resevation for let's say DCL you can make those reservations out 24 months and borrow points from the UY that the vacation will take place in even if the UY is beyond the next UY. In other words I could make reservations for DCL cruise today for a cruise that sets sail on March 14, 2012 and borrow points from UY 2011 and 2012.
This may seem a little confusing but I am sure that you will get the hang of it once you start. You can always talk to members services if you have questions. And of course there are alot of true experts on the disboards. Some of these folks have been doing this for a long time.
You can borrow points as long as you have points available in the next UY.
Yes, we normally drive to Orlando on Saturday and stay off property that night and then check in to the resort on Sunday and check out on Friday. Weekend points are quite expensive. The only time that we have used points on the weekend was at HHI for a weekend trip.

 

[ut*disney]

"Here are some very important questions:
1) Do you care when your membership expires? Some resorts have a 2042 expiration date, others 2054 - 2060.
I would rather have a longer contract than a shorter one. While I will be 88 in 50 years, my children will only be 57.

2) Will you book your reservations more than 7 months in advance? If you plan on booking 8 -11 months out, buy the resort you want. If not, buy the longest membership at the cheapest price. At the 7 month window, you can book at any resort.
Yes, I am a planner. I start planning my twins birthday party at least 8 months in advance. We did plan this last trip to Disney as a "spur-of-the-moment" since we did not go at Christmas.

3) What kind of vacation are you looking for? Something that puts you in the middle of the action (BWV, BCV, BLT) or something that is more relaxing (OKW, SSR, VWL, AKV)?
This is a tough question! We like middle of the action, but we also like to relax too.

4) Do you prefer condo-style rooms (something where you feel like you're in an apartment or condo like OKW or SSR), or something that feels much more like a hotel (AKV, VWL, BLT, BCV, BWV)?
Either would probably be okay. We don't spend time in the hotel rooms, but I am sure that will change as our family gets older. We are in the parks from the time we wake until the time the parks close.

5) Are you frugal? I know that sounds like a funny question, but if you are and your goal is to stretch your points for as many trips/nights as possible, some resorts have lower points requirements than others. This is true for maintenance fees as well. MFs run from $3-something per point all the way up through high $6 per point.
No, I am not frugal. What does "MF" mean? Is there a dictionary somewhere that has all of the shortcuts? I keep seeing "DH" and "DS" and "DD." When I first saw "DH" I figured out the "H" stood for husband, but thought the wife was mad at him and was saying d@#& husband.

6) Where are you from? This may play a role in what resort you may prefer. I have read some people say that they live in FL, so the last thing that appeals to them is a Florida-themed resort like OKW. Others have said that they live out west, so VWL doesn't appeal to them. Being an OH girl all my life, the lobby of WL still takes my breath away, and I could live the rest of my days happy as a clam at OKW.
We live in Southeast Texas right on the Gulf Coast.

7) When will you travel? We travel during the summer and spring break - DH is a teacher. I know you mentioned that you travel around school schedules as well. So, at Easter, we're using a ton of points to stay. We wanted to buy as many points as possible, and location was less important to us.
My husband is a teacher and a football/baseball coach. This year he did not coach baseball, so we were able to take a vacation during Spring Break. This was the very first time we were able to take a vacation during Spring Break since he has been coaching varsity baseball. We have vacationed at Disney in July, but it was just as bad as Texas...extremely humid and hot! We vacationed at Disney twice during Christmas. It was amazing, but the crowds were HUGE! We liked the crowd level during Spring Break, but we know we will not be able to vacation during this time again as long as my husband coaches varsity baseball.


Best of luck deciding. All I can say is we purchased in 2007, and like so many others on here, I wished I had understood more about it and had purchased sooner. To give you an example, we had paid to stay in a 1-BR at OKW right before we purchased. We could have taken that same $1600+ dollars, applied it to our purchase price, and stayed there anyway! Instead, we paid for the vacation, and then turned around and joined!
This sounds like what is going to happen to us. We just got back yesterday from the French Quarter for a week. We could have put that $2,500 toward a DVC.

DVC is not for everyone, but it has sure been wonderful for us, and continues to be!"
Thanks for the websites!

PS
I had to remove your websites in my response because I have not met the "post quota" yet. That is why your text has been edited.