Newbie! Where do I start?

[mdrob214]

OK--you all probably get this a million times. I am interested in DVC. Trying to determine if it's worth it to us, how much it'll run us initially and how much per year, etc. What are the best resources for finding out all this information? I look here on these boards and I get so confused and overwhelmed that I don't know whhere to begin. I watched the videos online because I can't get them to send me the info (I live in NE and they can't mail it to us here because of some state laws or something?). I just used my mom's address and other info--she's in SD.

SOoooooo, without contacting a guide at this time, what are my best options for finding out more information?

 

[chalee94]

start by scanning through a bunch of threads like this one on the DVC forums. then google some DVC FAQs (i included some links in my response on the other thread.) that should be a good start...

 

[wtpclc]

There is some good info here http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/index.html and DVCNews.com has some good starter info http://dvcnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=186&Itemid=160.

Come back here with questions.

 

[mdrob214]

Thank you! I think I get the gist of how it all works. But I find that all this info can be very overwhelming. I need to weigh purchasing thru Disney or Resale. I'm considering a smaller resale as a "starter". Does that make sense? Something we could add to later on? Don't know that I want to part with $17000 right now (I am thinking this is my minimum purchase thru WDW). But, of course, 50 pts wouldn't do us much good.

We are a family of 4 but have a teen DD and almost-teen DS so one room just isn't doing it for us right now. We've always stayed Deluxe and are spoiled. Plus, double beds are not for me! I am thinking a 1BR would be perfect for us.

 

[wtpclc]

Resales aer cheaper and that's the one thing I might have done different for my first purchase. If you decide DVC isn't for you , it's easier to get rid of smaller contracts too. HOwever, closing cost will add up if you have too many small contracts thorugh resale.

If you really want BLT, though, you'll need to go through DVC, as you won't find re-sales fro them for a while.

If you want a 1BR, look at how many points you need and how often you will go and find a contract that fits.

On the flip side, you may want ot rent some points to try a 1BR for your next trip just to make sure that it's right for you. SOudns liek it is, though.

 

[backyardponder]

Depending on where you live in NE, you might want to consider a trip to Disney's DVC sales store (called Doorway to Dreams) in the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. They have a big travel show there with Mickey Feb 19-22.

 

[5forDiz]

It really pays to read, read, and read more and really do your homework before you even consider putting a deposit down either directly with Disney or via a re-sale broker.

Best place to start the Point Charts for DVC Resorts ( link is at upper right corner of this page under The Timeshare Store Banner ) - get better idea of how many points you'd need to get started in DVC by doing lots of calculating :

what days of week & how many days total you'd vacation AND
which resort(s) you'd most like to stay at (always pick your favorite to purchase all or most of your points at ) AND
size villa you'd need
AND don't forget to take into consideration the various travel seasons you may want to book.

A family of 4 especially with older kids, jmho needs at least 1 bedroom villa. Note that at AKV's Kidani DVC building & at BLT all 1 bedroom villas will have the bonus of 2 full bathrooms and a pullout sleeper chair that sleeps 1 in addition to pullout sofa that sleeps 2 ( all 1 bedroom villas have king bed in master bedroom at all DVCs). AKV you will find available via re-sale but BLT will probably be tough to find on re-sale for the near future at least.

Its best to purchase points at DVC resort you'd like BEST ("Home Resort") so you know you will have 11 month priority booking advantage there ( at 7 months or less you can use your points to book at any of the other DVC resorts ). Also take into consideration annual Maintenance Fees which presently range from $3.67 at BLT to more than $6 per point at Vero Beach Resort; the Home Resort your points are from determines what your MFs will be each year - that amount is multiplied per point to give total amount you owe on MFs each year.

Some people also take into consideration the length of contracts at the various DVC Resorts when deciding which resort to pick for their Home Resort; these are the expiration dates -
BLT 2060
AKV 2057 & OKW "Extended Contracts" 2057 - note that all OKW sold by Disney are extended contracts but resale OKW may or may not be an extended contract
SSR 2054
BCV, BWV, VWL, & OKW "Un-extended Contracts" 2042
and offsite DVCs Vero Beach & Hilton Head Island 2042

You mention starting off with a small re-sale but wonder what you can do with a small contract : you can bank one year's allotment of points into next year to have 2 yrs worth of points to use every two years and can also bank one year's points into next & borrow from the upcoming year to have 3 yrs worth of points to use every third year so it is possible to start off small via resale and still have the ability to work with that until you are ready to do future add-on(s) for additional points.

Best wishes and hope you find the contract that best suits your needs

 

[mdrob214]

Depending on where you live in NE, you might want to consider a trip to Disney's DVC sales store (called Doorway to Dreams) in the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. They have a big travel show there with Mickey Feb 19-22.

I live near Omaha, but that's still quite a drive--6 hours or more, I think! Thanks, though.

It really pays to read, read, and read more and really do your homework before you even consider putting a deposit down either directly with Disney or via a re-sale broker.

Best place to start the Point Charts for DVC Resorts ( link is at upper right corner of this page under The Timeshare Store Banner ) - get better idea of how many points you'd need to get started in DVC by doing lots of calculating :

what days of week & how many days total you'd vacation AND
which resort(s) you'd most like to stay at (always pick your favorite to purchase all or most of your points at ) AND
size villa you'd need
AND don't forget to take into consideration the various travel seasons you may want to book.

A family of 4 especially with older kids, jmho needs at least 1 bedroom villa. Note that at AKV's Kidani DVC building & at BLT all 1 bedroom villas will have the bonus of 2 full bathrooms and a pullout sleeper chair that sleeps 1 in addition to pullout sofa that sleeps 2 ( all 1 bedroom villas have king bed in master bedroom at all DVCs). AKV you will find available via re-sale but BLT will probably be tough to find on re-sale for the near future at least.

Its best to purchase points at DVC resort you'd like BEST ("Home Resort") so you know you will have 11 month priority booking advantage there ( at 7 months or less you can use your points to book at any of the other DVC resorts ). Also take into consideration annual Maintenance Fees which presently range from $3.67 at BLT to more than $6 per point at Vero Beach Resort; the Home Resort your points are from determines what your MFs will be each year - that amount is multiplied per point to give total amount you owe on MFs each year.

Some people also take into consideration the length of contracts at the various DVC Resorts when deciding which resort to pick for their Home Resort; these are the expiration dates -
BLT 2060
AKV 2057 & OKW "Extended Contracts" 2057 - note that all OKW sold by Disney are extended contracts but resale OKW may or may not be an extended contract
SSR 2054
BCV, BWV, VWL, & OKW "Un-extended Contracts" 2042
and offsite DVCs Vero Beach & Hilton Head Island 2042

You mention starting off with a small re-sale but wonder what you can do with a small contract : you can bank one year's allotment of points into next year to have 2 yrs worth of points to use every two years and can also bank one year's points into next & borrow from the upcoming year to have 3 yrs worth of points to use every third year so it is possible to start off small via resale and still have the ability to work with that until you are ready to do future add-on(s) for additional points.Best wishes and hope you find the contract that best suits your needs

This is what i am considering. Yeah, it means we start off smaller, but that may be the way to get our feet in the door.

I also like the recommendation to rent points and stay there a week to try it our. I am thinking it's be a toss-up between AKV and BLT. BLT has the appeal of being so close to MK but AKV has the appeal of being with the animals and we loved AKL when we were there last year. It's such a tough decision! I also like the idea of being able to book the Treehouses when they become available.... We have a lot of researach to do, apparently. Thanks for everyone's advice. I need all the info I can get my hands on in order to make a good decision.

 

[hakepb]

I live near Omaha, but that's still quite a drive--6 hours or more, I think! Thanks, though.



This is what i am considering. Yeah, it means we start off smaller, but that may be the way to get our feet in the door.

I also like the recommendation to rent points and stay there a week to try it our. I am thinking it's be a toss-up between AKV and BLT. BLT has the appeal of being so close to MK but AKV has the appeal of being with the animals and we loved AKL when we were there last year. It's such a tough decision! I also like the idea of being able to book the Treehouses when they become available.... We have a lot of researach to do, apparently. Thanks for everyone's advice. I need all the info I can get my hands on in order to make a good decision.

If the price difference does not bug you, I'd lean BLT. AKV Savannah view is large enough that there should usually be 7 month availability. BLT is smaller and perhaps harder to reserve on AKV points...

Now if you want AKV value or concierge buy there..

 

[mdrob214]

If the price difference does not bug you, I'd lean BLT. AKV Savannah view is large enough that there should usually be 7 month availability. BLT is smaller and perhaps harder to reserve on AKV points...

Now if you want AKV value or concierge buy there..

Thanks, that's good to know. It's information like this that I would never think to ask and probably isn't easily found in FAQs. I'm reading away .

 

[flatzkids]

something else you may want to consider. As your children are getting older, you may find yourself more interested in Epcot and Hollywood Studios, or at least your kids might. BWV and BCV resales might be worth a look since they are so close.

 

[mdrob214]

something else you may want to consider. As your children are getting older, you may find yourself more interested in Epcot and Hollywood Studios, or at least your kids might. BWV and BCV resales might be worth a look since they are so close.

That's a really good point. They'll be in college or further in just 5 years, so maybe Epoct would be the way to go. DH and I would love the ability to walk into Epcot for dinner, etc. And aren't some of those cheaper since they are older/expire sooner?

Another question: Say I buy 100 pts (random number) resale at BCV. Can I reserve 11 months out for a ressie requiring 100 pts only? (Wait--I can bank so that shouldn't limit my reservation, if I am thinking correctly)

What if I have 100 at BCV and 50 at BLT (rand number again, someday down the road). Will I then have the ability to reserve BLT at 11 months out, too? Because that is an attractive reason to have smaller contracts at other properties.

 

[chalee94]

That's a really good point. They'll be in college or further in just 5 years, so maybe Epoct would be the way to go. DH and I would love the ability to walk into Epcot for dinner, etc. And aren't some of those cheaper since they are older/expire sooner?

there are deals on BWV but demand is higher for BCV for a number of reasons, and therefore it tends to maintain a higher resale price. both expire in 2042.

Another question: Say I buy 100 pts (random number) resale at BCV. Can I reserve 11 months out for a ressie requiring 100 pts only? (Wait--I can bank so that shouldn't limit my reservation, if I am thinking correctly)

if you buy 100 pts at BCV, you can bank one years pts and book the next year using up to a total of 300 pts (banked+current+borrowed). the downside is you can only do this every third year....

What if I have 100 at BCV and 50 at BLT (rand number again, someday down the road). Will I then have the ability to reserve BLT at 11 months out, too?

you would have the 11 month window at BLT for those 50 BLT pts and those only. at 7 months, you would have the option to try to book BLT with BCV pts (or vice-versa) but not before.

on the bright side, you would have up to 150 pts to book BLT every third year at 11 months.

 

[calgarygary]

You should also get a primer in timeshares in general by visiting TUG. There you can learn the ins and outs of many systems, not just DVC. Given the ages of your children, you might first want to decide if staying onsite at WDW is worth paying a premium of several thousand dollars upfront and hundreds extra per stay. If the answer is no, you might want to explore the cost of timeshares within driving distance of you. Orlando is the easiest market to exchange into and also has among the highest annual maintenance fees. You can avoid those fees by finding something close to home.

 

[mdrob214]

there are deals on BWV but demand is higher for BCV for a number of reasons, and therefore it tends to maintain a higher resale price. both expire in 2042.



if you buy 100 pts at BCV, you can bank one years pts and book the next year using up to a total of 300 pts (banked+current+borrowed). the downside is you can only do this every third year....



you would have the 11 month window at BLT for those 50 BLT pts and those only. at 7 months, you would have the option to try to book BLT with BCV pts (or vice-versa) but not before.

on the bright side, you would have up to 150 pts to book BLT every third year at 11 months.

Oh well, there goes that theory.

Thanks everyone! I am learning a lot.

 

[mecllap]

You should also get a primer in timeshares in general by visiting TUG. There you can learn the ins and outs of many systems, not just DVC. Given the ages of your children, you might first want to decide if staying onsite at WDW is worth paying a premium of several thousand dollars upfront and hundreds extra per stay. If the answer is no, you might want to explore the cost of timeshares within driving distance of you. Orlando is the easiest market to exchange into and also has among the highest annual maintenance fees. You can avoid those fees by finding something close to home.

I agree about learning about timesharing overall and using TUG, but remember that DVC isn't necessarily as easy to exchange into as other TS in Orlando (I'm among the II members who is unhappy about the change to RCI -- that was a major bummer). I've read that RCI folks are seeing availability of DVC, but not sure I'd count on that. Of course, there lots of other nice properties in Orlando (and the best advice is always, buy where you want to stay -- on WDW property -- or are you okay with buying closer to home and going with off-site exchanges, or renting).

 

[calgarygary]

I agree about learning about timesharing overall and using TUG, but remember that DVC isn't necessarily as easy to exchange into as other TS in Orlando (I'm among the II members who is unhappy about the change to RCI -- that was a major bummer). I've read that RCI folks are seeing availability of DVC, but not sure I'd count on that. Of course, there lots of other nice properties in Orlando (and the best advice is always, buy where you want to stay -- on WDW property -- or are you okay with buying closer to home and going with off-site exchanges, or renting).

As I indicated in my earlier post, you might first want to decide if staying onsite at WDW is worth paying a premium of several thousand dollars upfront and hundreds extra per stay. If someone is good with paying that premium and/or staying onsite is critical, then DVC works. If however, someone is content with offsite, a greater number of visits to Orlando, and/or going to other vacation areas, then DVC would not be a good choice. Orlando is the exception to the rule of "buying where you want to stay" unless of course you are talking a specific property as you can always, even during platinum periods, find an exchange into Orlando. I agree that no one should purchase a ts with the intent of exchanging into specific resorts or specific systems as you are vulnerable to changes over the years. I was not trying to imply to buy elsewhere with the intention of exchanging into DVC, just Orlando.

 

[bookswin]

I live near Omaha, but that's still quite a drive--6 hours or more, I think! Thanks, though.



This is what i am considering. Yeah, it means we start off smaller, but that may be the way to get our feet in the door.

I also like the recommendation to rent points and stay there a week to try it our. I am thinking it's be a toss-up between AKV and BLT. BLT has the appeal of being so close to MK but AKV has the appeal of being with the animals and we loved AKL when we were there last year. It's such a tough decision! I also like the idea of being able to book the Treehouses when they become available.... We have a lot of researach to do, apparently. Thanks for everyone's advice. I need all the info I can get my hands on in order to make a good decision.

Hi. I live in the Chicago area.

You can get a flight from Omaha to Chicago on Southwest for as low as $45 each way. In fact, there is such a "DING" fare on their site right now.

Unless you are going to Orlando to see DVC, you definitely should spend the $120 or so to do this, including renting a car for one day, to visit "Doorway to Dreams" outside Chicago to check it out.

This past weekend there was a sales event with some incentives you had to be onsite to get.

Also imperative to rent points for a stay to know what you are getting.

You wouldn't spend $20K on a car without a test drive, right?

Another thing: you will presumably want to consider leaving your membership in your estate, or giving it to your children or relatives someday. An existing contract cannot be split, so 2 100-point contracts are much MUCH more convenient than 1 200-point one. Also much easier to resell, if need be, as someone noted.

Good luck.

 

[dizneed]

....there are deals on BWV but demand is higher for BCV for a number of reasons, and therefore it tends to maintain a higher resale price....

I guess part of this is because BWV has the beach and BCV doesn't, but what would be other reasons?

our Disney history:
1987 with a 2-1/2 yr old at Fort Wilderness Cabin & Polynesian in late April
1990 with a 5 & 3 yr old at Polynesian in late September
1996 with a 11, 9 and 6 yr old at Polynesian late Sept
1999 all 5 of us at the Polynesian February
2003 all 5 of us (kids 18, 15 & 12) at the Polynesian in January
2006 just me and my 21 yr old daughter at the Swan
2009 just the dear hubby et moi - 3 nights at the Dolphin mid Feb.

We've usually stayed 4-6 nights and liked the convenience of being on the monorail and/or able to walk to parks. We really like the Swan/Dolphin/Boardwalk area. We attended the sales presentation during our most recent visit - - I was tempted to "sign on the dotted line" but my saner half (DH) said we need to think about it. And as I've researched the past few days, it seems resale is perhaps better for us, and to start with perhaps 75-100 points to bank & borrow for visits every other year, or perhaps purchase more if it looks like all the kids (and their friends/significant others etc) would be joining us regularly.

You all do a great job answering the questions for us newbies. Thanks. But I still have tons of questions - - such as my original question above about the relative benefits of the BCV over the BWV?

 

[chalee94]

You all do a great job answering the questions for us newbies. Thanks. But I still have tons of questions - - such as my original question above about the relative benefits of the BCV over the BWV?

the biggest is that BCV has SAB, which is unique and cannot be hopped to if you aren't staying at BCV.

but here are some threads which have more reasons:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=26179080

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1870714

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1839384