Hi- new here and I have lots of questions. We have been to OKW twice and we love DISNEY! We would like to become DVC members. Does it really matter which resort we buy as our home base? We really like OKW b/c the rooms are so large, but we would also like try Beach Club and SS. Should I be more concerned with getting enough points or does the home base also matter? I know you get to book sooner at your resort. Do resorts like BC sellout by the 6 month point? And do we lose any perks by buying resale? Thanks!
Welcome!
WDW has 7 DVC resorts. You typically buy points (or a DVC membership, if you will) at only one resort at a time, although there are plenty who own at more than one DVC resort. Where ever you buy points is your "Home Resort". You can book up to 11 months in advance at your Home Resort, 7 months in advance every place else.
Your Home Resort is very important because, unlike renting rooms directly from Disney, DVC resorts are often full and some can be extremely difficult to book even 7 months out. This is because Disney has sold all the points possible at most of its DVC resorts meaning, effectively, most have a near 100% occupancy rate throughout a good part of the year. For this reason, perhaps the best piece of DVC advice is to buy where you most want to stay.
You will be able to book at other DVC resorts; usually some availability can be found. However, you sometimes need to be a bit flexible to stay at your non Home Resort. Again, buy points at the resort you most want to stay at so you'll have the best chance of booking there.
Beach Club Villas (BCV) is popular because of its location and is the 2nd smallest DVC resort. Consequently, it is difficult to book. If this is where you'd like to stay most of the time, definitely buy here.
In terms of the number of points you should buy, this comes down to your budget and vacation plans. Only you know these. DVC
point charts are readily available on the Internet (David's
DVC Rental has a point calculator if you are not sure). If you can afford them, it's probably best to buy slightly more points than you think you'll need every year. This gives you some flexibility. You can always "bank" unused points in the current year and use them next year.
Whether to buy direct from Disney or resale is one of the big debates among these threads. Generally, buying directly is much easier although, lately, a wait list has grown for a few resorts, including BCV. It could be months before you get your points from Disney.
But buying directly at BCV costs $130/point. Buying resale at BCV should cost $80/point or less, especially if you are patient and ready to negotiate price. Direct or resale, it's a tough time to buy at some of the DVC resorts right now, including BCV. Inventories are down and Disney reportedly has a waiting list of DVC members who want to add points at BCV.
If you buy resale, you will not be able to use your points for things such as
Disney Cruise Line or stays at WDW hotel such as Port Orleans Riverside. Generally though, the most cost effective use of your points is at a DVC resort. For any other use, it's generally more cost efficient to rent out your points and then use the money to simply pay cash for these.
Hope this covers your first round of questions. Please let us know how else we can help!
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