New to buying DVC, which resort? Advice needed.

[hayleyfriend]

Hi all
I last visited WDW in November 2019. At that time I could afford 10 nights at AKL (it was the low season). I haven't been able to visit again for a number of reasons. I'm looking to book another trip but due to inflation and Disney price increases, the same budget will now only get me to Art of Animation! As I would like to visit fairly regularly, I've decided to purchase a contract. I'd rather put the thousands of dollars I'd pay to stay on property towards something that will last.
A direct purchase is out of my price range, but I can afford a second hand contract of 100 points, which I believe will get me a week in the low season at one of the moderate resorts.
I've been comparing Animal Kingdom Lodge, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs as they appear to be within my budget.
When running the numbers, AKL has a higher lifetime cost due to the length of contract and yearly dues. I'm also concerned at the lack of studios available. I have read that it can be difficult to book a studio at the 11 month window.
Old Key West is often a 2042, which I'm not too worried about, but the dues are higher.
Saratoga is a longer contract, so will perhaps retain it's resale value for longer. The dues are nice and low. Being able to walk to Disney Springs will be a good benefit for us.
Although, I'm concerned about the following:
- Are the points very rentable? I'm worried that supply might be much higher than demand.
- I've heard that the food is terrible. I'm happy to walk over to Disney Springs, but it's nice to have somewhere close by to pick up a quick breakfast.
- It's easy to book Saratoga at the 7 month window. Is it foolish to have a home resort that is so easy to book?
Obviously, if money were no object I'd be considering a different set of resorts, but I'm just trying to do the best that I can with what I have.
Ideally I'd try out more resorts before I purchased, but I don't want to delay too much longer. I'm in the UK so a trip to WDW comes at quite a time and financial cost. The feedback that I've heard so many times is that members wish they had bought sooner.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Hayley

 

[intamin]

1. You can’t book moderate resorts with DVC, technically you can if you exchange the points but the conversion rate is terrible and its usually more expensive than just staying at a deluxe DVC resort.
2. AKL is very easy to get a studio at. Even more so if you own there. The only ones that are hard to get are club level and value studios. Standard and savanna usually last until 7 months.

SSR and AKV are great options. Can also consider CCV or BLT for a little bit more. I personally chose AKV over SSR because I like playing the game of trying to get value rooms and club levels, but if not I’m perfectly fine with a standard Jambo studio. Also AKV during Christmas is . Personally would not recommend OKW because of dues and expiration date but if you love it there then thats also an option. If you reallly don’t care about which DVC resort you’re staying at and are okay with playing the 7 month switch game then SSR is the best option from a financial standpoint. I would advise though that I would not recommend SSR if you don’t like the resort. I know it’s much further down the line and its debatable how much the 2042 resorts expiring will affect availability but you want to at the very least be okay saying I don’t mind staying at this resort every year for the next X amount of years.

 

[Sandisw]

Out of all of those, SSR would be our choice. We do own 300 points there along with RIV and VGF points which we use for SAP.

We have found the food there to be quite comparative to any of the other resorts…all have their pluses and minuses.

IMO, it’s a great starting contract and budget friendly.

 

[hayleyfriend]

1. You can’t book moderate resorts with DVC, technically you can if you exchange the points but the conversion rate is terrible and its usually more expensive than just staying at a deluxe DVC resort.
2. AKL is very easy to get a studio at. Even more so if you own there. The only ones that are hard to get are club level and value studios. Standard and savanna usually last until 7 months.

SSR and AKV are great options. Can also consider CCV or BLT for a little bit more. I personally chose AKV over SSR because I like playing the game of trying to get value rooms and club levels, but if not I’m perfectly fine with a standard Jambo studio. Also AKV during Christmas is . Personally would not recommend OKW because of dues and expiration date but if you love it there then thats also an option. If you reallly don’t care about which DVC resort you’re staying at and are okay with playing the 7 month switch game then SSR is the best option from a financial standpoint. I would advise though that I would not recommend SSR if you don’t like the resort. I know it’s much further down the line and its debatable how much the 2042 resorts expiring will affect availability but you want to at the very least be okay saying I don’t mind staying at this resort every year for the next X amount of years.

Thanks so much.
Sorry, by 'moderate', I meant not high end like the Grand Floridian. I'm not quite used to the terminology yet.
I'll have a look at the numbers for CCV and BLT.
We are very keen on AKL, so I'll give that some more thought.
Although I have a limited budget, I probably still have too many options I'm sure that whichever resort we choose, I'll just be very happy and grateful anyway!

 

[RoseGold]

Depends on what "fairly regularly" means. If you aren't going every year, I wouldn't recommend DVC. It's not a flexible product, there are a lot of rules and penalties are stiff. And it commits you to Disney, and to all the costs of a theme park vacation. If that's not you every year, DVC is not for you.

The math is razor thin against renting. If I were going every other year, or just not sure, I would just rent points or stay at Swolphin. DVC and Disney are not going anywhere. You are losing nothing by renting, it might even be the smarter mathematical choice.

AKL in particular is not hard to rent points for at all.

 

[hayleyfriend]

Out of all of those, SSR would be our choice. We do own 300 points there along with RIV and VGF points which we use for SAP.

We have found the food there to be quite comparative to any of the other resorts…all have their pluses and minuses.

IMO, it’s a great starting contract and budget friendly.

Oh thank you.
It's difficult when you have a few options. There are lots of opinions online and actually I'm sure I will be super happy with any of the resorts.
I haven't stayed at SSR but it looks so pretty.

 

[hayleyfriend]

Depends on what "fairly regularly" means. If you aren't going every year, I wouldn't recommend DVC. It's not a flexible product, there are a lot of rules and penalties are stiff. And it commits you to Disney, and to all the costs of a theme park vacation. If that's not you every year, DVC is not for you.

The math is razor thin against renting. If I were going every other year, or just not sure, I would just rent points or stay at Swolphin. DVC and Disney are not going anywhere. You are losing nothing by renting, it might even be the smarter mathematical choice.

AKL in particular is not hard to rent points for at all.

I hope to visit once a year for a week. Potentially may bank/borrow for a longer trip every other year.
I did dismiss DVC initially due to the level of commitment.
I may compare costs of renting for the number of years that we expect to use DVC and see how that comes out.
Swolphin is a good call, thanks.
So many options to consider.

 

[PalmettoPath]

Hi all
I last visited WDW in November 2019. At that time I could afford 10 nights at AKL (it was the low season). I haven't been able to visit again for a number of reasons. I'm looking to book another trip but due to inflation and Disney price increases, the same budget will now only get me to Art of Animation! As I would like to visit fairly regularly, I've decided to purchase a contract. I'd rather put the thousands of dollars I'd pay to stay on property towards something that will last.
A direct purchase is out of my price range, but I can afford a second hand contract of 100 points, which I believe will get me a week in the low season at one of the moderate resorts.
I've been comparing Animal Kingdom Lodge, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs as they appear to be within my budget.
When running the numbers, AKL has a higher lifetime cost due to the length of contract and yearly dues. I'm also concerned at the lack of studios available. I have read that it can be difficult to book a studio at the 11 month window.
Old Key West is often a 2042, which I'm not too worried about, but the dues are higher.
Saratoga is a longer contract, so will perhaps retain it's resale value for longer. The dues are nice and low. Being able to walk to Disney Springs will be a good benefit for us.
Although, I'm concerned about the following:
- Are the points very rentable? I'm worried that supply might be much higher than demand.
- I've heard that the food is terrible. I'm happy to walk over to Disney Springs, but it's nice to have somewhere close by to pick up a quick breakfast.
- It's easy to book Saratoga at the 7 month window. Is it foolish to have a home resort that is so easy to book?
Obviously, if money were no object I'd be considering a different set of resorts, but I'm just trying to do the best that I can with what I have.
Ideally I'd try out more resorts before I purchased, but I don't want to delay too much longer. I'm in the UK so a trip to WDW comes at quite a time and financial cost. The feedback that I've heard so many times is that members wish they had bought sooner.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Hayley

I would agree with @Sandisw -- we don't own at SSR, but we do love staying there.

 

[hayleyfriend]

I would agree with @Sandisw -- we don't own at SSR, but we do love staying there.

Oh great, thank you.

 

[DanCali]

Also AKV during Christmas is .

Can you expand a bit on that? What makes it more special during Christmas?

We own there so that's something we'd consider doing if worthwhile, although unfortunately it's during the ~20 days when our Sorcerer Pass is blacked out so, unless we upgrade the annual pass, it'd just be resort days

 

[sndral]

SSR is by far the biggest WDW resort, it has over 14 million points and 888 villas of which 442 are studios (all lock offs.) It is rarely difficult to book because it’s so big. The price to buy a resale contract there tends to be lower because of basic supply side economics w/ over 47,000 members owning those 14 million points. If you’ve stayed there & like the spread out bus only arrangement the $7.68 MFs & 2054 end date are attractive. There’s always a chance at 7 months to switch to another resort (except currently Riv. at WDW) thus a lot of people own SSR to use as SAP points (sleep around points) because of the cheap buy in & low MFs. Depending on when you want to go this can be an attractive option.
When I bought my first resale contract I opted for AKV because it was only marginally more expensive than SSR and I liked staying at the resort whereas I had no desire to stay at SSR. AKV has 7.4 million points and 458 villas of which 293 are studios (124 studios at Jambo 169 studios at Kidani.) Its MFs are just over $1 a point higher than SSR - so on a 100 point contract it would be $113 or £ 88 more per annum. The end date is 2057. I like to book at 11 months & not fret about getting something I like more at 7 months, especially since I go in early Dec. when it’s tough to switch at 7 months, so the SAP option didn’t suit me & I was ok paying a bit more to buy somewhere I liked staying.
My source for the numbers is https://dvcnews.com/ they list a lot of data for each resort under their ‘resort’ tab.
IMO, the bigger challenge will be finding a 100 point contract. Smaller contracts tend to cost more per point & 100 points is relatively small. Be aware that the resale process takes 2-3 months & depending on when you plan to go availability for this year‘s vacation may be challenging once you’ve bought & have access to your points. Good luck.

 

[Genie+]

Good advice shared already.

Don’t put too much weight in food since this will change over the years and decades. SSR should always have Disney Springs so that’s a constant positive. I also think MK and EP area resorts have food advantage too because you can share the group of options from resorts nearby.

Renting points - this is tricky. In the short term I think owners should be able to rent and recoup some dues and buy-in cost. Savvy owners may even be able to offset some of their trip costs… I just wouldn’t bet on guaranteed profits.

We were in a similar position a few years ago deciding to buy resale. Without much experience across DVC resorts it’s difficult to pin down what you’d be happiest with. That’s a very individual preference, and even then resort/room preferences usually evolve over time as our life changes. It’s a good idea to start with a small budget friendly contract. You’ll get experience with the system and resorts. That’s what we did and it gave us confidence for the second purchase.

 

[sndral]

Can you expand a bit on that? What makes it more special during Christmas?

We own there so that's something we'd consider doing if worthwhile, although unfortunately it's during the ~20 days when our Sorcerer Pass is blacked out so, unless we upgrade the annual pass, it'd just be resort days

@DanCali I think you’ve posted your question in the wrong thread - but I agree AKV especially Jambo at Christmas is lovely.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Some people will always say oh, the math doesn't really work out and maybe just stay at Swan/Dolphin. Idk. Maybe that's sometimes the case, but as an example, it's $1878 for one week at the Dolphin in August. At SSR it's 102 points for a standard studio. The dues for this year at SSR are $7.86 so that one week costs $801.72 in an SSR Studio. Yes, there's also an up front cost of let's say $105 per point at SSR. But if you even use the points 10x you'll have broken even to the Swolphin.

 

[Wedgeout]

Will ultimately become a personal decision. You have stayed at AKL. If you enjoyed the resort, that would be a great selection. Can modify reservation to OKW and SSR at 7 months. It’s a 2057 resort. Good resale pricing currently without the ROFR worry as in years past. Look over the point charts. Owning AKV gives booking priority at both Jambo and Kidani. Standard Studio would be my main baseline determination on points needed budget wise for bookings. As a home resort, you will have the best opportunity to book the full variety of categories..Value, Concierge, Standard, Savana..and all room sizes.

 

[intamin]

Thanks so much.
Sorry, by 'moderate', I meant not high end like the Grand Floridian. I'm not quite used to the terminology yet.
I'll have a look at the numbers for CCV and BLT.
We are very keen on AKL, so I'll give that some more thought.

If you really love AKL then it's worth buying it over SSR. The great thing about DVC is all the resorts are high end in their own way. Some people may love the simplistic theming and proximity of BLT to MK, others may prefer somewhere where the theming is more obvious like AKL or CCV. Another great thing about DVC is you don't have to stay at just one and you'll likely have opportunities to try them all out during your lifetime if you own DVC.

Can you expand a bit on that? What makes it more special during Christmas?

We own there so that's something we'd consider doing if worthwhile, although unfortunately it's during the ~20 days when our Sorcerer Pass is blacked out so, unless we upgrade the annual pass, it'd just be resort days

Honestly I just love the lobby during Christmas. The giant Christmas tree on top of the already impressive lobby at AKV is just stunning. I arrived to AKV in early December for a trip at midnight when nobody was really in the lobby and it was just beautiful. Attached a picture for reference. I'm never disappointed coming back to that after a day in the parks.

Some people will always say oh, the math doesn't really work out and maybe just stay at Swan/Dolphin. Idk. Maybe that's sometimes the case, but as an example, it's $1878 for one week at the Dolphin in August. At SSR it's 102 points for a standard studio. The dues for this year at SSR are $7.86 so that one week costs $801.72 in an SSR Studio. Yes, there's also an up front cost of let's say $105 per point at SSR. But if you even use the points 10x you'll have broken even to the Swolphin.

The other thing to go along with this is I like having control over my reservations. By owning DVC I can change and modify my reservations at will. Of course with owning DVC you assume a larger financial risk than simply renting, but the downside of renting is you have to rely on the owner to make your reservation and do it properly and insert everyone's names correctly. I also don't like the idea that the owner could just cancel the reservation and then I'm stuck out of a room. Of course you'll be reimbursed by the broker site eventually but it's not something I want to be stressing over before a trip personally.

 

[DanCali]

Some people will always say oh, the math doesn't really work out and maybe just stay at Swan/Dolphin. Idk. Maybe that's sometimes the case, but as an example, it's $1878 for one week at the Dolphin in August. At SSR it's 102 points for a standard studio. The dues for this year at SSR are $7.86 so that one week costs $801.72 in an SSR Studio. Yes, there's also an up front cost of let's say $105 per point at SSR. But if you even use the points 10x you'll have broken even to the Swolphin.

It's not just Swan/Dolphin. There are thousands of hotels in Orlando not part of Disney that are much cheaper. Also, if you have any form of access to Interval International (say by owning some other timeshare), you can book a relatively nice 2BR unit at a Marriott or Sheraton timeshare as a "getaway week" for $100-$150 night during many weeks of the year. Or you can rent a timeshare from an owner at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, which is actually on site, just not a Disney property. Those are all some things we did for many years until we got the bug to stay at actual Disney properties (and we now regret the 10+ years we lived in FL and did not do that). But to buy DVC, you really need to place a premium to staying on site, because otherwise you can own/stay in some pretty nice timeshare villas in the Orlando area, with a lot more square-footage, for a lot less. Anyone indifferent to staying on site may find that owning DVC is harder to justify.

 

[intamin]

It's not just Swan/Dolphin. There are thousands of hotels in Orlando not part of Disney that are much cheaper. Also, if you have any form of access to Interval International (say by owning some other timeshare), you can book a relatively nice 2BR unit at a Marriott or Sheraton timeshare as a "getaway week" for $100-$150 night for many weeks during the year. That's pretty much how we did it for many years until we got the bug to stay on property. But to buy DVC, you really need to place a premium to staying on site, because otherwise you can own/stay in some pretty nice timeshare villas in the Orlando area, with a lot more square-footage, for a lot less. Anyone indifferent to staying on site may find that owning DVC is harder to justify.

Yep, if you weren't staying on property to begin with or don't care about staying in the bubble then DVC probably isn't for you. There are a lot of cheaper options because lets face it DVC is not a cheap product. It's still Disney at the end of the day. But for those of us who were staying at moderates/values every year/multiple times per year and want to continue staying near the parks it absolutely makes sense. My partner and I got a taste of what it was like staying off property and going to the parks with a rental car during a recent trip and it wasn't bad but it wasn't like our other trips when we were staying literally next door. During the following trip I had a bit of a stomach bug and being able to go back to the room immediately whenever I wasn't feeling well was invaluable.

 

[MartyParty]

Hi all
I last visited WDW in November 2019. At that time I could afford 10 nights at AKL (it was the low season). I haven't been able to visit again for a number of reasons. I'm looking to book another trip but due to inflation and Disney price increases, the same budget will now only get me to Art of Animation! As I would like to visit fairly regularly, I've decided to purchase a contract. I'd rather put the thousands of dollars I'd pay to stay on property towards something that will last.
A direct purchase is out of my price range, but I can afford a second hand contract of 100 points, which I believe will get me a week in the low season at one of the moderate resorts.
I've been comparing Animal Kingdom Lodge, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs as they appear to be within my budget.
When running the numbers, AKL has a higher lifetime cost due to the length of contract and yearly dues. I'm also concerned at the lack of studios available. I have read that it can be difficult to book a studio at the 11 month window.
Old Key West is often a 2042, which I'm not too worried about, but the dues are higher.
Saratoga is a longer contract, so will perhaps retain it's resale value for longer. The dues are nice and low. Being able to walk to Disney Springs will be a good benefit for us.
Although, I'm concerned about the following:
- Are the points very rentable? I'm worried that supply might be much higher than demand.
- I've heard that the food is terrible. I'm happy to walk over to Disney Springs, but it's nice to have somewhere close by to pick up a quick breakfast.
- It's easy to book Saratoga at the 7 month window. Is it foolish to have a home resort that is so easy to book?
Obviously, if money were no object I'd be considering a different set of resorts, but I'm just trying to do the best that I can with what I have.
Ideally I'd try out more resorts before I purchased, but I don't want to delay too much longer. I'm in the UK so a trip to WDW comes at quite a time and financial cost. The feedback that I've heard so many times is that members wish they had bought sooner.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Hayley

Always like helping out new folks. Its an exciting time getting it figure out. You've got the right thought process going in your initial email thread. Offering some additional thoughts to assist:

• First you won't be making a bad choice. There are good choices and better choices depending on your desire and needs. Everyone is different and their opinions reflect as much.
• Sounds like you like Animal Kingdom. Excellent resort. Good restaurants. Lots and lots of rooms so I'd be surprised at 11 month mark you'd have any difficulty. Also think lots of availability at the 7 month mark. Between Kidani and Jambo House there a ton of rooms.
• If you're looking for larger rooms, Old Key West is of great value. Points chart for 2 and 3 bedrooms are very reasonable.
• If you want a close walk to Magic Kingdom, then Bay Lake Tower is hard to beat at about 10 minutes. Keep in mind this is contemporary themed versus Animal Kingdom Lodge. Also with Bay Lake you have the Contemporary Restaurants or any other restaurants along the monorail (Poly or Grand F.).
• If you like a more earthy nature theme, then have a look at Boulder Ridge (being nicely refurbished) or Copper Creek. Lovely area.

Keeping checking the boards for insights. But if you really like Animal Kingdom then I'd go with where your heart is and you like to stay. For us its Bay Lake. For all the things others don't like about Bay Lake we love it. Same may be true for you.

But overall you have a good list of OKW, SS, and AKL to chose from. I'd be happy with anyone of those.

Welcome home....

 

[DanCali]

Hi all
I last visited WDW in November 2019. At that time I could afford 10 nights at AKL (it was the low season). I haven't been able to visit again for a number of reasons. I'm looking to book another trip but due to inflation and Disney price increases, the same budget will now only get me to Art of Animation! As I would like to visit fairly regularly, I've decided to purchase a contract. I'd rather put the thousands of dollars I'd pay to stay on property towards something that will last.
A direct purchase is out of my price range, but I can afford a second hand contract of 100 points, which I believe will get me a week in the low season at one of the moderate resorts.
I've been comparing Animal Kingdom Lodge, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs as they appear to be within my budget.
When running the numbers, AKL has a higher lifetime cost due to the length of contract and yearly dues. I'm also concerned at the lack of studios available. I have read that it can be difficult to book a studio at the 11 month window.
Old Key West is often a 2042, which I'm not too worried about, but the dues are higher.
Saratoga is a longer contract, so will perhaps retain it's resale value for longer. The dues are nice and low. Being able to walk to Disney Springs will be a good benefit for us.
Although, I'm concerned about the following:
- Are the points very rentable? I'm worried that supply might be much higher than demand.
- I've heard that the food is terrible. I'm happy to walk over to Disney Springs, but it's nice to have somewhere close by to pick up a quick breakfast.
- It's easy to book Saratoga at the 7 month window. Is it foolish to have a home resort that is so easy to book?
Obviously, if money were no object I'd be considering a different set of resorts, but I'm just trying to do the best that I can with what I have.
Ideally I'd try out more resorts before I purchased, but I don't want to delay too much longer. I'm in the UK so a trip to WDW comes at quite a time and financial cost. The feedback that I've heard so many times is that members wish they had bought sooner.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Hayley

You already got some great advice here.

I think you can rule out OKW due to the higher dues. You made some stronger arguments yourself for SSR in your original post. Regarding AKV - as long as you are not counting on getting the Value or Club studios rooms there (Club and Value 1BR are also sometimes difficult to get at 11 months) then you should be able to book Standard and Savanna studios or 1BR units at 11 months out.

You may find the following historical availability tables useful to give you an idea what you can book at 11 months out and 7 months out at different resorts:

https://www.dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

You should also give some consideration to a "monorail resort", the most affordable one (resale) currently being BLT. You don't have to stay there and can always split a stay with SSR, but it's nice to be so close to MK on days you visit that park. It also has dues of $7.42, which is lower than any other resort you were considering, and expiration of 2060 which is longer than any other resort you were considering.