New to DVC and a few questions

[adctd2WDW]

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[disneynutz]

I have seen posts about incentives. What kind of incentives has Disney offered in the past? I will be using my tax return to buy points and am just waiting on Uncle Sam. I must start with just 160 and am thinking about BLT. I have seen that the annual dues are less there. Also, I know that BWV is sold out but can Disney still sell points there? (I have not asked my rep all the questions I want to yet- I keep thinking of new ones). Anyone here know what Disney would sell those points for and what annual dues at BW are?

My rep is suggestion BLT because the points have a longer life than elsewhere. Is this a good factor to look at? Will the year the poins expire ever change? I thought I saw something about OKW changing. What is this about? How much does it costs to change the year?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
~Thank you

Buy where you love to stay. If you don't know where that is, then my advice is don't buy until you do.

You probably won't keep your membership for 50 years so what does it matter when the contracts expire? The date might be extended, be it can't get shorter.

Your Guide is pushing BLT because his boss told him to.

 

[adctd2WDW]

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[Ed T]

DVC did offer an extension for OKW members.

If you are an OKW owner, you may add as additional 15 years to your current contract by paying the $15 per point price. On March 1, 2008 that price goes up to $25 per point.

 

[spiceycat]

go with what you want. the kids won't be living with you forever. so it must be your decision.

besides at BWV they can walk thru Epcot and ride the monrail - or walk down to Studio take the bus to Epcot and ride the monrail. (the first choice will cost you a day on your park passes unless you have an annual pass)

there is a big resale market.

only go thru DVC if you need financing.

if you have the cash go thru a resaler. they can get a good deal on BWV. Take your time - look around - be sure you are getting the best deal for you. That say watch the really good deal - Disney will ROFR (right of first refusal) on any of really good deals.

have a great day!!

VWL, BWV, BCV, OKW - quit 2042
SSR - 2054
OKW and AKV - 2057
BLT - 2060

if you buy OKW thru Disney it will be 2057, otherwise it could be 2042.

 

[Anal Annie]

I have seen posts about incentives. What kind of incentives has Disney offered in the past? I will be using my tax return to buy points and am just waiting on Uncle Sam. I must start with just 160 and am thinking about BLT. I have seen that the annual dues are less there. Also, I know that BWV is sold out but can Disney still sell points there? (I have not asked my rep all the questions I want to yet- I keep thinking of new ones). Anyone here know what Disney would sell those points for and what annual dues at BW are?

My rep is suggestion BLT because the points have a longer life than elsewhere. Is this a good factor to look at? Will the year the poins expire ever change? I thought I saw something about OKW changing. What is this about? How much does it costs to change the year?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
~Thank you

When we purchased they had a "Friends and Family" promotion where they gave an extra $5 off per point with a referral. They haven't done this incentive in a couple of years now though.

Just make sure you ask your guide to show you not only the 2009 charts but also the new 2010 point charts before you buy! The point re-allocation they did for 2010 could affect how many points you want to buy. Make sure 160 points covers what unit you want when you want to go.

 

[GranddadTom]

adctd2WDW -

I don't think that you are ready to buy. You need to do some more research. Points at every DVC resort are readily available on the resale market (we've used the Timeshare Store twice and have been very pleased). You really must buy at the resort that you want to stay at. The 11-month booking window is a very big deal. I wouldn't be too swayed by what your kids want today. As they grow up, that will change. When our kids were little, they loved the Magic Kingdom but when the got older, they loved the Boardwalk area. Once the kids left home and every once in a while it's only my wife and I, we love the Boardwalk area because it's an easy walk to two of the four parks (and we really don't care much for buses). We bought at the BWV even though the DVC salesperson was pushing a different resort on us. Before we bought, we visited each of the DVC resorts at WDW and you'd be surprised how much you'll learn by doing so. We like the "hotel-style" of BWV where if we want to buy a newspaper or get a cup of coffee, we just hop on the elevator and go down a few floors and do it. Plus you just can't beat the nighttime activities on the boardwalk. I'm only trying to slow you down so you are happy with how you spend that tax refund.

 

[adctd2WDW]

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[disneynutz]

Please realize that less then 80 total rooms will have a MK view, that's all room types. If all eighty were lock-offs, that means that 40 could be studios and 40 could be one bedrooms.

I don't want you to be disappointed if you can't see the fireworks .

 

[spiceycat]

Also, being able to watch MK fireworks from a balcony willl be a plus as my kids hate loud noises.

fireworks at the CR are LOUD - really, really loud - so don't count on them being less loud at BLT.

so make sure your kids did not open the balcony sliding door. which will be hard.

would stay standard myself and go up to the top of the world (at least while we can).

that say would go with a small contract at VWL thru a resalers - then you can do add on at BLT of a 100 points not the full 160 you would need now.

 

[Cmbar]

I come to this with some DVC experience. I was a DVC member before a divorce 7 years ago. I have stayed at length at the BWV, OKW, and before becoming a member I had stayed at the GF, Poly & BC. I love being so close to MK. It is by far my favorite park. There may be times I will travel to the World for a long weekend. At those times I will be glad to be so close to MK and my 2nd fave park- Epcot. I will be more likely to want to stay at BWV with my significant other. Trips with him will be more flexible date-wise than trips with my kids now or grandkids later in life. Kids will have school to work around and my kids have always thought the Contemporary was really neat because of the monorail and the general shape of the original building. Also, being able to watch MK fireworks from a balcony willl be a plus as my kids hate loud noises.
I have thought this through. I am not going through a resale because I most likely would not be able to obtain financing. I am surprised Disney has been able to help me. The Timeshare Store does not do their own financing and they told me the bank they use looks for scores of 700 or better. Not me.
This is not a light decision. I am a server at a restaurant and probably am out of my league in doing this. I am not in the same position now that I was the 1st time, but I miss the "Welcome home". I love WDW and know that I will be scraping to get to the World every 2 years. When there I like to be spoiled. I like the nicer rooms and want that for myself and my family.
I believe I am ready. I just can't wait to sign on the dotted line.

I think it does sound like you are ready and have done your homework. The truth is if you can't finance through a resale then you really are limited in that you need to buy through Disney. It sounds like you like and want BLT so you should definitely do that. The question is, if you could buy on the resale market is there a place (or a lower amount of points) you would rather buy. In other words, is BLT (the highest cost) worth the larger committment? If you can work out another type of loan, such as home equity or collateral loan, would you be better off doing resale? If the answer is "no, I definitely can't do resale" than you can consider one of the other resorts for purchase. Check out www.dvcnews.com and they have the current prices of each resort sold through Disney. I do believe my guide told me I could buy BWV or BCV and he said it would not have any closing costs and they had banked points. I thought I had to be a member to get the closing costs waived. So be sure to just double check to see if you can save some money by buying one of the other resorts IF YOU WANT TO STAY THERE! I am struggling now because we are ready to buy but with all the recent changes it puts some uncertainty in the equation. We are buying with cash so we can do resale, but my DH likes the lower maintenance fees at BLT. So that is also a consideration for you.

Good luck on your decision. Do know that while you have been a member before, most say that DVC is not anything like it was 7 years ago.

 

[DeeCee735]

I have seen posts about incentives. What kind of incentives has Disney offered in the past? I will be using my tax return to buy points and am just waiting on Uncle Sam. I must start with just 160 and am thinking about BLT. I have seen that the annual dues are less there. Also, I know that BWV is sold out but can Disney still sell points there? (I have not asked my rep all the questions I want to yet- I keep thinking of new ones). Anyone here know what Disney would sell those points for and what annual dues at BW are?

My rep is suggestion BLT because the points have a longer life than elsewhere. Is this a good factor to look at? Will the year the poins expire ever change? I thought I saw something about OKW changing. What is this about? How much does it costs to change the year?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
~Thank you

You can ask your guide to see if there are points available direct through Disney at the sold out resorts, like BW. In this market, I'd say there's a good chance there will be, however I'm don't think incentives are offered if buying at a sold out resort (someone out there correct me if I am wrong please).

Also, as far as expiration dates go, I'd look at how old you and your kids are, but I wouldn't put too much weight on that (JMO), because no one really knows how long they'll have their vacation ownership, although we all hope to keep it as long as possible.

Yes you can leave it to your kids, you may want to consider buying smaller contracts that total the 160 (if you can as a new buyer) (my guide said they'd do this....i.e., wanted a 50 point add on but in 25 point contracts and there was no problem), because you can only have one beneficiary on each contract

Have you ever stayed at BW or in an MK monorail resort? If so, think about which one you liked best and buy that one. Your kids most likely will not choose MK as their favorite resort when they are 19! Like mine! My kids like BWV the best, (and we only bought there at the time because it was the only other resort besides OKW - although it is still our favorite DVC resort), because they can go to ESPN, Beaches & Cream at Beach Club across the way, the Sweet Shoppe for ice cream too, Spoodles pizza window (yuk in my opinion), dine at Big River Grille outside, as well as walking to Epcot and boat to DHS! They also LOVE the 200 foot winding slide at the pool. And in 1 1/2 more years, they'll be able to get into Atlantic Dance, the only nightclub left on property! (If it's still there then anyway). So there's alot offered at BW too, and thinking about buying in a place based on the little ones having it as a fav, is a nice thought, but them being little goes by way fast, and before you know it, your out with the Mrs, and their running over to Epcot to do Soarin or MIssion Space!

Good luck with your decision and happy planning....

 

[adctd2WDW]

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[mom of princessx2]

If you really prefer BWV than check out the resale boards. Uncle Sam isn't moving all that fast these days so you probably have a little time. You can probably get more points for your money or if 160 is okay you can save some $ for all those extras at Disney. If you are set on buying thru Disney you may want to wait until a better incentive comes along. You can buy BWV through Disney but you may have to be on a waitlist to get what you want and I believe the charge is still the going rate for all points through Disney.

 

[DeeCee735]

...to everyone for their thoughts and ideas. Maybe I made it seem my kids are all little. The oldest is 15 (and, yes, still hates loud noises) and the youngest is 8. How true that they grow up quickly!!
As mentioned I have stayed at many different places and do like being on the monorail. What can I say- I still want to pinch myself when I think I may get to stay there every time if I want! And the MK view will be one of those things that is a treat if we actually get a great room. That moment of walking over to the balcony and checking is neat everytime.
And, we may not get to the World every year. I have planned trips where I spend $5000+ on just the room and go every two years just so I can stay in a nice room. Do that 4 times and I would have paid for DVC. Alll I have done this time is take what was going to go into a cash room and use it as a down payment. It made more sense to me.
Some may still think I was not ready or could not really afford it, etc...... What can I say?? I am a Disney fanatic and know this will be well worth the cost.

No one can tell you when you or if you are ready, only you know that. As far as what one can afford or where one should buy - again only you know that. Alot of people, myself included, don't just look at something like this from a logical financial point of view , we bought when we bought because we fell in love with the place and knew that whenever we could get there we would, finances, quite frankly were secondary, and everything has been working out a-okay ever since.

So, congratulations - WELCOME HOME and enjoy your home resort of BLT, whenever you can!

 

[princessfionasmom]

Just wanted to share my little DVC story with you. I bought 50pt at OKW last year, resale. We don't have a lot of money but we love disney and I would love to go every year or at least every other year. In looking thru the points charts and researching the DVC resorts, I found OKW to be the best fit for us. They have 2 queen beds which works with having 2 kids. We are not the type to spend a lot of time in our room when at the world so we don't need a ton of space to spread out (of course this is different for each person). The cost of 50pts was so little I was able to pay up front which was nice. I know your probably thinking what can you do with 50pts. Well we like to travel off season (I hope your not a teacher because I'm the bad kind of parent who doesn't mind taking kids out of school for a trip, especially if it's only every other year ) and those points can get us a Sun thru thur night trip, 5 nights, at a lot of the resorts. We have banked our pts from this year to use in our Oct 09 trip (my use yr is Oct) and with this we are going to stay a week in a studio at OKW and I still have enough left for a 2 night get away if I want or I can bank to the next year and have more for that year. Also, I can bank one year, use current and borrow from the next and have 150pts to use (you probably already know this, sorry if I'm pointing out the obvious). I guess my suggestion would be to definitely buy where you want to stay, buy resale, and don't feel like you have to buy a whole bunch of points to start off. Some day I hope I can add on, but if not, at least I have my meager 50pts! Good luck with your decision. Just think not matter what you choose, you'll be at WDW which is the best part of all.c

 

[CarolAnnC]

Unfortunately, this thread is being locked because of those who continued their argument, sarcasm and attacks.