Newbie to DVC - Help Please

[bmorr1963]

Thinking about BLT and have a few questions in general - -

1. Very basic one first, how common is it that the time you want to vacation at a particular resort is available....I know the more popular times might be booked up but is it a hassel to always find openings?

2. Maybe a dumb quesiton but if you are not really buying a room at a particular resort, but just points, why am I buying into BLT and not just Disney Points (is being able to book 11 months out in my primary resort the only reaosn why they sell into a property).

3. We have a family of 5 (6, 4, 2 year olds). Plan on vacationing at least every other year God-willing.......how many points would you by into to start uo?

4. Is this program worth it - - do you like it and have found it valuable????

 

[Teachckg]

I am fairly new to this myself so others may be more helpful...

1. Booking right at the 11 month window you can pretty much get what you want. 7 month window when it is not too busy, not bad. During the busy times at 7 month you will be limited.

2. Someone else probably will be better at answering this but first it is a way to distribute the reservations evenly. Also technically you are "purchasing" a property in a way.

3. To decide the number of points... you want to see what kind of accomodations you would want (studio, 1BR, etc.) and the length of stay. If you only want to go every other year then you can always bank or borrow so your "yearly points" can be half of your stay.

4. This is a question you really need to decide.... My thoughts are if you love to go to WDW and always want to stay at a nice place it is worth it. IMO it is not worth it if you expect to "trade" out and not stay in a DVC resort.

 

[DVC Mike]

1. Very basic one first, how common is it that the time you want to vacation at a particular resort is available....I know the more popular times might be booked up but is it a hassel to always find openings?

I always get what I want when I book 11 months in advance.

2. Maybe a dumb quesiton but if you are not really buying a room at a particular resort, but just points, why am I buying into BLT and not just Disney Points (is being able to book 11 months out in my primary resort the only reaosn why they sell into a property).

You are purchasing a real estate interest in a particular resort. You get the 11-mo booking priority only at your home resort. Plus, your annual dues are determined by which resort you own at (they vary by resort).

3. We have a family of 5 (6, 4, 2 year olds). Plan on vacationing at least every other year God-willing.......how many points would you by into to start uo?

It will depend on:

- The time of year (season) you typically plan to go
- The accommodation (studio, 1BR, 2BR, GV) you want
- The "view" you want
- The particular resort you are interested in staying at
- the day of the week (Fri/Sat nights are more expensive)

4. Is this program worth it - - do you like it and have found it valuable????

For me, the answer is an unqualified YES,

 

[browniemtb]

I guess I'll through my 2 cents in.....

1) To get a place to stay 7 months in shouldn't be a major issue. That is if you do not mind which resort. That being said, there are very busy DVC vacation times that can hinder your vacation plans. But its not impossible to get a place to stay.

2) One of the major reasons for resort home status is the ability to book there before it opens up to all DVC members. So in your case if you feel BLT may not be for you and your family you may want to consider the other resorts. Disney does have the ability to sell you sold out resorts. That is precisely what we did.....SSR was the resort they were selling when we purchased. My DW and I said we wanted BWV and that is what we purchased. We enjoy being able to walk to 2 parks and have a night life after the parks.

3) This is a tough question....but here is how I would look at it. A family of 5 will need at least a 1 bedroom that can sleep 5 or a 2 bedroom unit. Determine when you will more than likely travel....look at the point chart. So for example, making these numbers up, you find you like travel in March and a week stay in a 2 bedroom runs 350 points......traveling every other year you would consider purchasing 175 points.

4) If you really enjoy WDW it is a great way to get deluxe accommodations. DVC also has, thus far, held its value because of Disney exercising ROFR. For our family it has been worth it......

Good Luck on your DVC purchase

 

[Lynne M]

I'll add my thoughts on availability...

You shouldn't have any problem getting your home resort at 11 months. If you want to travel between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you'll want to book right at the 11-month mark. That's the busiest time of year for DVC resorts.

Outside of December, booking at 7 months is only difficult for certain resorts and/or room types. From Oct 1 through mid-November, BCV and BWV book up very quickly because of the Food & Wine Festival. I've gotten BWV at 7 months in Oct; I've never been able to get BCV in Oct. VWL can also be tight during that time because it's a very small resort. OKW and SSR are easy to get, and AKV likely will be as well.

Let's see, at 7 months it's hard to get BWV standard view, BWV grand villas, and AKV concierge.


Other than what I've mentioned, booking is very easy. The only trouble I've ever had a 7 months is with BCV in October.

 

[tmannelly]

Hi! My husband and I just returned from a WDW vacation with our 3 year old daughter. We stayed at the Polynesian...loved it. I have been to both WDW and DL many many times, my husband only twice. We were excited to share the magic with our daughter.

Anyway, we went to the DVC open house and got all of the information for buying into the BLT, which look fabulous. Plus, Disney is offering some great incentives...225 free points (at least we were looking at buying 225 points, so maybe they match the points) to be used at SSR or one other resort (can't remember) or banked in RIC for 2 years PLUS $5 per point (for us would be 1125$) toward down payment/on Disney visa, whatever. Basically a $5/point rebate. All of these incentives are if you commit while you are on vacation, of course. I still think paying $112 a point for BLT is pretty steep...

So, we returned home and started looking into resales. We are looking at BWV or BCV. While BLT looks amazing and getting a view of MK (if you can get it) would be fantastic) and being on the monorail line is great with small children, I like the idea of being by Epcot and Boardwalk for future use. Any opinions/pros/cons between BWV or BCV? I have stayed at Boardwalk hotel once before, but never the villas and never BCV.

Also, anybody have ROFR exercised recently on these 2 resorts? I am looking at some resales that are between $78-82/point for BWV and $89-93/point for BCV. Just don't know if the extra $10/point is worth it for BCV.

Just curious on people's thoughts...Sorry I am wordy, not used to these discussion boards.

 

[dandave]

tmanelly, Welcome to the Dis!!

You really may want to start a whole new thread for your questions. In the meantime, I'll say that I'b pick BCV. It's smaller, harder to book, and has the better pool. Plus, it seems to hold more of its resale value.

This thread will give you a better idea about what has recently passed ROFR. (Start towards the end. ):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1960185

 

[tmannelly]

Thanks, dandave!

I will start a new thread!

 

[5forDiz]

Hi! My husband and I just returned from a WDW vacation with our 3 year old daughter. We stayed at the Polynesian...loved it. I have been to both WDW and DL many many times, my husband only twice. We were excited to share the magic with our daughter.

Anyway, we went to the DVC open house and got all of the information for buying into the BLT, which look fabulous. Plus, Disney is offering some great incentives...225 free points (at least we were looking at buying 225 points, so maybe they match the points) to be used at SSR or one other resort (can't remember) or banked in RIC for 2 years PLUS $5 per point (for us would be 1125$) toward down payment/on Disney visa, whatever. Basically a $5/point rebate. All of these incentives are if you commit while you are on vacation, of course. I still think paying $112 a point for BLT is pretty steep...

So, we returned home and started looking into resales. We are looking at BWV or BCV. While BLT looks amazing and getting a view of MK (if you can get it) would be fantastic) and being on the monorail line is great with small children, I like the idea of being by Epcot and Boardwalk for future use. Any opinions/pros/cons between BWV or BCV? I have stayed at Boardwalk hotel once before, but never the villas and never BCV.

Also, anybody have ROFR exercised recently on these 2 resorts? I am looking at some resales that are between $78-82/point for BWV and $89-93/point for BCV. Just don't know if the extra $10/point is worth it for BCV.

Just curious on people's thoughts...Sorry I am wordy, not used to these discussion boards.

Often (but not always) when you are told an incentive is only available while you are still onsite at WDW, you may still be able to get it at a later date within a reasonable amount of time; if you call guide you can ask if it can still be honored because that will sway you on the purchase.

imho, you are wise to think ahead and think about what would be a better long-term situation for you and your family - - kids do grow up quickly and we've found that our 3 kids as they've gotten older do prefer Epcot & DHS over MK and our kids like the freedom BWV / BCV resort areas gives them - - DS and older DD are at age where they like to venture around on their own to ESPN, Beaches & Cream, even Swan & Dolphin and also like being able to walk to Epcot & DHS instead of waiting for boat. Our youngest DD is 12 and she really prefers this location too for renting bikes to ride around Crescent Lake, Boardwalk enterntainment, carnival games, gift shops as you can walk to all the resorts and have lots to choose from. Our eldest 2 are old enough as well so that leaving our youngest in villa with them later in the evening allows DH & I to get in some time at one of the club's at BWV (Jelly Rolls or Atlantic Dance) or a nightcap at one of the hotel lounges if we want.

BWV has a great pool & BCV of course has Stormalong Bay Pool which is like having your own waterpark right outside your villa.

You'll most likely find a much better value on re-sale for BCV & BWV. Check board sponsor The Timeshare Store's listings ( click their banner at top of page). And here is link to Donald is #1's thread on contracts that have recently made it through ROFR or not - most recent post is #448. Each resorts is listed and it will give you a good idea at what they're going for.


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1960185&page=30


Best wishes on your planning

 

[CarolMN]

DVC is a form of a pre-paid vacation plan It works best for those who visit WDW at least once a year, stay on site in a deluxe resort and are able to plan more than 7 months in advance.

DVC covers only accommodations. You'll still need to pay for transportation, food, park admission & souvenir purchases.

If you fit the criteria and have the discretionary income available to pay for it, DVC can be a good value for your family.

DVC probably will NOT save you money. Many members end up going more often, staying in larger rooms and/or inviting family & friends to travel along with them. Kind of like buying something you really do not need because it is on sale and then telling everyone you saved money.

We enjoy DVC and consider it a good fit for our family, but I cannot honestly say it has saved us any money.

Good luck with your decision.