New here! Question prior to buying...

[CarolMN]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what does "second smallest" mean? Is this a type ranking of popular resorts (e.g. quickly booked out?)? If so, what comes before BCV... (BWV?)?

I'm sure the poster meant that it has the second fewest rooms of the WDW resorts. VWL has the least amount of rooms.

BCV has a very popular pool (Storm-A-Long-Bay), it is close to EPCOT and it isn't a large resort. For many months of the year, it books up very quickly. If you don't own there, it can very difficult to secure a reservation at 7 months.

VWL is very popular between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Unless you own points at that resort, it is very hard to get a reservation there during that period.

 

[bonybroad]

I am an owner of SSR. I like it. I am also interested in exploring other resorts. Before we bought DVC, we stayed at different places just for a different experience. Right now, I am booked at BWV for Sept, and waitlisted for VWL.
We actually bought SSR because I liked the layout of the grounds. I am actually pretty sure I will switch my reservatiion from BWV to SSR and continue to waitlist for VWL. I keep reading reports that BWV needs upgraded, and I am very concerned about the length of the hallways.
Everyone has their own reason for buying where they bought. It's not always an evil plot to "clog the system."

 

[CarolMN]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with switching resorts at 7 months. It doesn't matter if you never want to stay at the resort you originally bought, either.

This is strictly a "numbers" issue. The point is that Disney decided to build a "mega" WDW DVC resort (compared to the other DVC resorts). That means there are now a lot more members trying to stay at OKW, BWV, VWL, & the BCV than there were before SSR.

Size of Resort (max available rooms):

SSR / 1260
OKW / 761
AKV / 708
BWV / 532
BCV / 282
VWL / 181
VB / 172
HHI / 123

The above numbers came from one of WebmasterDoc's posts:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=24998057&postcount=4

Since the number of points is proportional to the number of available rooms, let's assume for this discussion that each resort has the same number of points as it has rooms.

Let's say that 10% of the "points" want to stay somewhere besides their home resort.

As an example, before SSR (and AKV), there were 187 points potentially competing for 18 rooms in the VWL in December. (10% of (123+172+282+532) ) After SSR, there are / will be 313 competing for those rooms. That's a 67% increase.

Also consider that more VWL owners prefer to stay at VWL in December than SSR owners prefer to stay at SSR in December. (The percentage of VWL reserved prior to the 7 month window is greater than the percentage of SSR reserved prior to the 7 month window opening). So there are even less rooms available at VWL at the 7 month mark (as a percentage of the total) than at SSR.***

You can come up with similar examples for the other resorts.

So yes, it is harder to book the smaller DVC Resorts at 7 months now than it used to be. Too bad, so sad!

This is the way the system works. No one should feel the need to defend SSR - it's a beautiful resort. No one should blame SSR members for decisions Disney made (which they made in their best interests, I'm sure). BWV, BCV & OKW owners who book at 7 months have the same opportunity to do so as the SSR members.

As the DVC system grows, the competition for the smaller resorts will increase at the 7 month mark. If staying at one of those resorts in the more popular months is important, then members need to own there or accept that they will not always be successful.



*** Note: This is what Dean means when he says SSR has also changed members' booking patterns. As members realized that getting into the smaller resorts at 7 months was getting more difficult, they bought small add on contracts. Those members almost always use those add-on points to book before the 7 month mark. In addition, many owners of those smaller resorts who used to be more relaxed about booking their home resort, now book at the 11 month mark. So we now have more owners booking at the 11 month mark than used to do so before SSR was built.

 

[Dean]

*** Note: This is what Dean means when he says SSR has also changed members' booking patterns. As members realized that getting into the smaller resorts at 7 months was getting more difficult, they bought small add on contracts. Those members almost always use those add-on points to book before the 7 month mark. In addition, many owners of those smaller resorts who used to be more relaxed about booking their home resort, now book at the 11 month mark. So we now have more owners booking at the 11 month mark than used to do so before SSR was built.

Nice summary Carol. I'll go a step further on the reservation pattern of the home resorts in regards to the 7/11 month windows. DVC members have been spoiled and it was not uncommon for one to own at a "destination" resort and book at or after the 7 month window. IF this had not been true, none of the rest would have much relevance. There tended to be availability so they could get by with it, but no longer. That has changed and many of those have moved up their reservation timeframe to before the 7 month window opens. But this causes a domino effect as each timeframe is subsequently affected and has pushed a number of people to doing day by day at 11 months that would have never even considered it previously. So yes, SSR has affected reservations within the home resort priority of a number of all resorts to a degree, even OKW.

 

[PIERCEDRN]

YUCK!!! That's the problem this particular SSR owner, and many like him, they dislike their own resort! With the numbers of SSR owners they can clog up the system at 7 months. I bought AKV for more money rather than buy SSR. I think in the long run that will prove to be the correct decision if only for a selling prespective. I already see SSR points selling for the same amount as OKW, and OKW owners paid far less to buy into DVC.

But to blow the mind of Bob the poster, since he is gloating so much, I have no guilt at all about reserving a 7 day week using an Interval bonus week ($299 for the week) to trade into DVC resorts like the BCV one bdrm we just left. So lets compare $299 for seven nights in a one bdrm BCV or 252 points which would have cost you $21K to buy in plus maintenance fees for 252 pts.

Now who's gloating. I use my points where I live. I own at OKW, BCV, VB and AKV. Try to get a BCV spring break week with SSR. Good luck with that.

I answered this post in the same spirit the Poster employed. I have been an owner since DVC started and I resent this type of rude post.

FYI I responded to a post making a character judgement on buying SSR to stay at other resorts, not the OP... i.e. What's up with that? But many posters are getting more territorial re: their home resort, and making odd character judgements. In the realm of timeshare, as you well know, there is often little loyalty to one's home resorts especially with the points systems. Last week, I was seriously considering buying Wyndham points at Branson. I have never been there nor did I have any interest in staying there. The dues are low and the price was right at $1250, and it would get me a trade to Hawaii or Bonnet Creek every 2 years. Not an unusual much less immoral thing.

But a SSR owner who books at the 7 month window is looked down upon. We are part of the DVC family , can't we get a lil love?
When the big resorts like SSR, Hawaii, AKV, and even BLT "clog up" the 7 month window, we will sell and buy at AKV our current favorite.
Until then why shouldn't we enjoy all of the resorts we can? I started reading the DIS to get the best value for my disney dollar. At the time SSR was the best value. But it now has a worse rep than Walmart because of its size.

I apologize to the OP if my post blew the thread off topic. No more rants from me I promise.
BOB

 

[icydog]

FYI I responded to a post making a character judgement on buying SSR to stay at other resorts, not the OP... i.e. What's up with that? But many posters are getting more territorial re: their home resort, and making odd character judgements. In the realm of timeshare, as you well know, there is often little loyalty to one's home resorts especially with the points systems. Last week, I was seriously considering buying Wyndham points at Branson. I have never been there nor did I have any interest in staying there. The dues are low and the price was right at $1250, and it would get me a trade to Hawaii or DVC every 2 years. Not an unusual much less immoral thing.

But a SSR owner who books at the 7 month window is looked down upon. We are part of the DVC family , can't we get a lil love?
When the big resorts like SSR, Hawaii, AKV, and even BLT "clog up" the 7 month window, we will sell and buy at AKV our current favorite.
Until then why shouldn't we enjoy all of the resorts we can? I started reading the DIS to get the best value for my disney dollar. At the time SSR was the best value. But it now has a worse rep than Walmart because of its size.

I apologize to the OP if my post blew the thread off topic. No more rants from me I promise.
BOB

If you need help with buying a timeshare, exchanging or renting let me know. The scenario you described above will not happen.

1. The Wyndham in Branson does not trade in II. YOu must buy an Interval International week exchangeable week if you want to trade into DVC

2. Wyndham is not a good choice in my opinion now. The resorts are fine, but the management company, formerly Fairfield- now Wyndham, is not concerned in the least about the value of their owners property. You can buy a FF contract for 1.5 cents a point. Talk about a devaluation. These same contracts are being sold by FF for 30K and are most times sold with monthly payments with very high interest rates. Many, many, FF contracts are defaulted because of those high rates each month.

3. Make sure you have enough points to stay at the FF Bonnet Creek for a week and don't pay any more than 1.5 cents a point. The Bonnet Creek is directly across the street from OKW on Bonnet Creek Parkway. It is the only non DVC timeshare on site.

 

[PIERCEDRN]

Oops I really meant Bonnet Creek not Dvc, thanks for correcting me I am aware I would not be able to trade to DVC from Wyndham points. When one is staying on points trade is not the right term for me to use anyway.
I edited my post to avoid confusion.
BOB

 

[Dean]

Oops I really meant Bonnet Creek not Dvc, thanks for correcting me I am aware I would not be able to trade to DVC from Wyndham points. When one is staying on points trade is not the right term for me to use anyway.
I edited my post to avoid confusion.
BOB

One thing about trading to HI with Wyndham is that high demand weeks are likely to be difficult due to the fact that Wyndham has carved out the HI resorts giving them priority over other Wyndham points for HI reservations. The impression I got was similar to the DVC home resort priority situation.

 

[vicki_c]

Back to the OP's question -- I agree with what others have posted about buy where you want to stay and the potential difficulty of booking at a smaller resort like BCV or VWL if you don't own there, at certain times of the year.

That said, I called last week and got a 1 BR at BCV at my 7 month window (yes I own SSR!), except for 1 day that I had to waitlist. This is for Christmas week (12/21-12/28) and I did not call day by day, but just on my check out day 7 month window. If I don't get my waitlist day, I'll be happy to move to my "home", just wish I didn't have to move because it interferes with getting to rope drop!