Non Disney World DVC

[TheEnforcer92]

Hi everyone!

My fiancée and I have been considering a DVC purchase recently. Our honeymoon will be down at WDW in June and we’re staying at WL. We’re both Disney fans but haven’t been in a number of years so are super excited to go down. We live in NC and are much closer to HHI so have been eyeing some of the listings there.

My question is it worth it for us to look to pick up a DVC contract at HHI and then use the points either yearly there or bank some of the points for WDW. We usually aim to vacation for 3-4 nights in summer. My understanding is that we’d be limited to the 7 months in advance for non-home planning. In a normal (non-Covid) year what does availability look like at places such as CCR, OKW, VGF, or AKV?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sandisw]

Studios at CCV and VGF go fast and are tough to get even in summer. While possible, it take work.

The other resorts are fairly better If you have flexibility into which dates in summer you want to go, that will increase the odds.

I have found that August was always easier than July for 7 month bookings.

If you see using at HH is a good part of your plan, then it’s worth it.

 

[Great3]

Studios at CCV and VGF go fast and are tough to get even in summer. While possible, it take work.

The other resorts are fairly better If you have flexibility into which dates in summer you want to go, that will increase the odds.

I have found that August was always easier than July for 7 month bookings.

If you see using at HH is a good part of your plan, then it’s worth it.

Agreed, only buy if you mainly plan to use at HHI, and are flexible enough for any dates / resorts at WDW at the 7 months mark. If buying to mainly use to WDW most years, than I would say don't do it, you will end up just being frustrated.

Great3

 

[Wayland10]

We own at HHI and I’ve always been able to get exactly what I want at WDW for mid August. (Note that I’ve never tried for CCV.) And when we want a beach vacation it’s really nice having the 11 month priority at HHI. Getting a studio in summer without it is rough.

 

[TTA Rider Matt]

I think you have a lot of upside in buying at HHI, if you intend to use the points at HHI in the summer, as it can be very difficult to book at 7 months. Your proximity to the resort is also a plus. HHI’s dues are much higher than the WDW DVC properties though ($9.97/pt, opposed to an average of about $7.50/pt for WDW properties), and even in the summer, 7 month booking is difficult when considering WDW DVC resorts. Some CCV owners actually report having difficulty getting their preferred reservation at 11 months. However, you can pretty much get into SSR, OKW, AKV, PVB standard studios fairly easily at 7 months for summer bookings.

Another nice thing for you is if you are only buying enough points for 3-4 nights, you can buy a smaller contract. You’ll pay a little more per point by doing so, but it’s less of a burden on dues. If you buy say 50 points at HHI, that gets you 3 non-weekend nights in the summer. Then your dues are only $498.50 per year, which is just over $41 a month. I say go for it!

 

[hhisc16]

I think you have a lot of upside in buying at HHI, if you intend to use the points at HHI in the summer, as it can be very difficult to book at 7 months. Your proximity to the resort is also a plus. HHI’s dues are much higher than the WDW DVC properties though ($9.97/pt, opposed to an average of about $7.50/pt for WDW properties), and even in the summer, 7 month booking is difficult when considering WDW DVC resorts. Some CCV owners actually report having difficulty getting their preferred reservation at 11 months. However, you can pretty much get into SSR, OKW, AKV, PVB standard studios fairly easily at 7 months for summer bookings.

Another nice thing for you is if you are only buying enough points for 3-4 nights, you can buy a smaller contract. You’ll pay a little more per point by doing so, but it’s less of a burden on dues. If you buy say 50 points at HHI, that gets you 3 non-weekend nights in the summer. Then your dues are only $498.50 per year, which is just over $41 a month. I say go for it!

That is exactly what we did.
We live in SC and buying 50 pt HHI on resale due to location.
It is enough points for 3 studio nights during weekday in summer.

 

[Travel60]

We own 1200 points at HHI....one of the best things we've done. We've always been able to get rooms at WDW even on short notice....often at SSR, but that's fine because we like Disney Springs. We are retired so flexible on dates and always get at least one-bedroom, larger if kids/grandkids are joining us. So your results may vary with studios. Mostly, we love kicking back at HHI.

 

[RoseGold]

I thought about buying at Aulani and decided against it because of Hawaii's laws. They have hoops and taxes FL doesn't, and they have made law changes in the past that I did not like. I do not know how SC treats timeshares, but you should if you own property there. You need to know how they have behaved historically and how hard it is to probate or sell or whatever.

Mathematically, I wouldn't buy VB or HHI just because of their dues, which have outpaced the WDW hotels. They are now aging beach hotels vulnerable to hurricanes, which isn't something I want ownership in. Just in DVC points pound for pound, the math doesn't make sense to me, I'd rather use good old fashioned SSR points. If you're staying at WDW, that seems like a no brainer to me. If I were buying into an Atlantic coastal timeshare, I'd consider non-Disney ones over VB or HHI.

I'd also consider BLT for this purpose. It has 11 month value bookings that can make up the difference in the contract cost, if you think you will be able to make use of them. Availability varies depending on what you are trying to book, which we do not know. I use my SSR points for 1BR, which has worked great, even through Covid.

 

[chalee94]

Mathematically, I wouldn't buy VB or HHI just because of their dues, which have outpaced the WDW hotels. They are now aging beach hotels vulnerable to hurricanes, which isn't something I want ownership in. Just in DVC points pound for pound, the math doesn't make sense to me, I'd rather use good old fashioned SSR points. If you're staying at WDW, that seems like a no brainer to me. If I were buying into an Atlantic coastal timeshare, I'd consider non-Disney ones over VB or HHI.

Agree. If you want HHI, the Marriotts are nicer and better located. SSR is a better bet for onsite WDW DVC use.

As to hurricanes and higher dues, it's important to understand that owners are also on the hook for special assessments for weather events. They have been small in the past, but don't go in blind.

2018 hurricane assessments for three DVC properties - DVCNews.com - The essential Disney Vacation Club resource!

 

[Nabas]

The initial resale price for HHI is relative low (roughly $80/point) but annual Maintenance Fees are high ($9.22/point). In addition, HHI Maintenance Fees have increased at double the rate of most WDW resorts (over 6% annually).

You mentioned that you plan to vacation at HHI, with some vacations at WDW as well.

IMO, as long as you plan to vacation at HHI at least some of the time, it makes sense to purchase there.