Newbie question...Please help.

[Andrew*A]

Hi,
We are based in the UK and are currently looking into buying into DVC. At the moment we are trying to decide between buying direct from Disney, or to buy resale points.

The question we have is,
If we buy 250 resale points at Saratoga Springs, will these points still have the same value when used against a deluxe resort. So just to clarify, does 1 point hold the same value regardless of which resort we stay at?

This may be a stupid question but I can't find the answer. Thanks.

 

[chalee94]

The question we have is,
If we buy 250 resale points at Saratoga Springs, will these points still have the same value when used against a deluxe resort. So just to clarify, does 1 point hold the same value regardless of which resort we stay at?

1 point holds the same value regardless of which deluxe VILLA (a) resort you stay at (subject to the 7 month booking window(b)).

(a) - you cannot use resale pts to book deluxe hotels like the yacht club or whatever. resale pts can only be used at DVC resorts (including aulani in hawaii and hilton head island in south carolina - you can also trade resale pts through RCI for other timeshares, including (potentially) some of those in europe).

you can only use directly purchased pts to book onsite wdw hotels like the yacht club (and those point charts change from year to year, typically upwards).

(b) - if you buy SSR and are counting on never staying there, the math might work against you eventually. i would buy where you don't mind staying...if that is SSR, then SSR is a great value on the resale market and has reasonably low annual dues. but if you only want to stay at somewhere like BCV, it's easier if you own BCV and book at 10-11 months out.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

The answer to your question is yes, one SSR point has the same booking power at other DVC resorts at the seven month mark. So if you own 250 SSR points, at the seventh month mark they could be used to book 250 points worth of stay at any of the other DVC resorts.

 

[CMNJ]

Just keep in mind that if you plan to buy SSR mainly for trading into the other locations often when the 7 month window opens often the lower point accommodations (standard view BWV, standard view BLT, value AKL) are not avail as owners at those resorts tend to snag those lower cost rooms during the home resort booking window. That means you would need to budget for the higher point room catergories (BWV preferred view, BLT lake view, etc)

 

[disneynutz]

Just to be clear, each resort has different point requirements and there are different seasons so your 250 SSR points can be used at other resorts, the points required to stay there may be more or less than the points required at SSR.

Bill

 

[robinb]

Hi,
We are based in the UK and are currently looking into buying into DVC. At the moment we are trying to decide between buying direct from Disney, or to buy resale points.

The question we have is,
If we buy 250 resale points at Saratoga Springs, will these points still have the same value when used against a deluxe resort. So just to clarify, does 1 point hold the same value regardless of which resort we stay at?

This may be a stupid question but I can't find the answer. Thanks.

They have the same value in the 7-month window, but each resort has a different "price" for the number of points needed to book a specific sized villa at a specific time for a specific view. I like to use David's DVC By Request point calculator to determine how many points something will take: http://www.dvcrequest.com/cost-calculator.asp. In the 11-7 month window SSR points can only be used at SSR and have no value elsewhere. That is why most people suggest that you purchase where you want to stay. If staying near Epcot is super important to you, buy at BWV or BCV. Like animals? Own at AKV. If stretching your points is important with an AKV Value view or BWV Standard View, you'll want to own at that resort so you can book in the 11-month window. If you're perfectly fine with SSR as a fall-back, then go ahead and own there.

 

[coastalhh]

Home Resort- SSR in this case- Can be booked at 11 months

Then you can book any other resort at 7 months. Theoretically ever other resort could be sold out when 7 months comes around so you should always try to book before 7 months at your home resort than trade into wherever you want to stay at inside 7 months. The smaller resorts like Beach Club and Grand Floridian are harder to get into most of the time. At a time like Christmas week or low points time like the first week of December it is hard to find anywhere at all inside 7 months sometimes.

Keep in mind there are many many owners at Vero, Hawaii and Hilton Head that try to stay in Walt Disney World every year so outside points overload the rooms and you can be locked out if you wait too long to book

Buy somewhere you dont mind staying, with the thought that sometimes you will stay at other resorts. If you dont mind SSR then no problem, if you hate it buy somewhere else. Just my philosophy- many others just buy the cheapest points and are fine, but I dont want the stress of worrying until 7 months every year.

We love Animal Kingdom and wouldnt mind it every year. But we have and will continue to stay at other resorts sometimes

 

[drusba]

If, for example, you have 250 SSR points, they have the same 250 point value at every other DVC resort. What varies among the resorts is number of points needed for the same night for the same room sizes, e.g., during any given time of year, it is going to cost you a lot more points per night to stay in a Polynesian studio than it will in a SSR studio, but that point cost per night at the Poly is the same for owners of both Poly and any other DVC resort. What is a more important issue is the 11 month at home resort and 7 month at other DVC resorts booking window. If you purchase at SSR, it will be difficult year round to get any of the following at 7 months out at WDW: AKV value and club level, BLT standard view, BWV boardwalk and standard view, VGF studios and 2BR lock-offs, and it can often be difficult to get anything at any near-park DVC resort at WDW from late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan, DVC's high demand season at WDW.