Ok I'm a little confused here

[Beverly Lynn]

if I were to purchase a "resell" DVC membership for say the WLV's could I stay at another dvc property? like the BC when it opens or the BWI? or do you have to use your points at the resort you buy them for? and do you have to buy it for a one bedroom or a 2 bedroom and then only get to rent that type out?

 

[perdidobay]

Hi Beverly Lynn
You can use your points at any DVC, you just have 11 months out to reserve at your resort of purchase vs 7 months at the others.
You buy "points" and can stay at anything: studio, one or two bedroom, say from 18 points a night to 60+ points a night, it makes it really flexable

 

[Beverly Lynn]

ok now I think I am getting it! thanks

 

[EROS]

Beverly, it helps to first consult the point charts to get an idea how many points you would need to accomodate your wishes. Point requirements vary both with the SIZE of the accomodation needed (studio, 1 BR,2BR, etc.) AND the season that you would be traveling.

Good Luck,

 

[perdidobay]

no problemo- all the folks here are really freindly and a lot more expert than me on these things so ask away

 

[Beverly Lynn]

I just got a great PM that explained it to me in a way I now understand!

I think I would go for the 2 bedroom if I purchase. but then again that depends on what happens in the next few months so I have a while to think about it and make a decision on what I want. any info yet on the BC villas?

 

[Towncrier]

BC Villas open in September 2002. They will probably go on sale sometime this winter (after WLV sells out).

 

[Beverly Lynn]

ok another question now! I forget but can you carry over points from one year into the next? and say I want to go this year 2-3 times but run out of points, can I borrow on the next year if I know I am not going to use them?

 

[RobDoc]

can I borrow on the next year

Yes, you can borrow from the following year. Once borrowed, the points cannot be returned to their original use year, but with banking and borrowing you can plan ahead for something which needs more than a year's points.

Enjoy!

 

[Beverly Lynn]

is there a limit on what you can borrow or carry over?

 

[caverill]

You can barrow all of your points from the next year.

You can also bank points not used into the next year, but there are banking deadlines on the amount of points you can bank.

The flexibility of DVC is what sold us. Not only the ability to stay at almost any Moderate or Deluxe resort at WDW, but Vero Beach and Hilton Head (both DVC's). You points go further at DVC hotels, but the flexibility is there to stay at the Poly, GF, Comp, etc.

You can also trade out your points to stay at a wide varity of locations around the world. We stayed at the Grand Hotel for two nights this summer and used points.

I would start by deciding when you normally go, decide on "standard" room size, decide on length of visit and calculate the points required. This would give you an idea how many points to buy. Remember, you are not locked to anything!

I also recommend (as will most on this board), buy where you intend to stay most often. The 11 month reservation window will give you the best chance of getting what you want.

I would not recommend purchasing DVC if you don't like to plan your trips in advance (7 - 8 months).

Hope this helps...

 

[PamOKW]

When you purchase you are assigned a Use Year month. This is the month every year when you get your new allotment of points good for the next 12 months. Based on your Use Year, there are certain deadlines for making your banking decisions. Early in the year, you could bank all of your points....it goes down to eventually being past the time to bank.

For example, if your Use Year is June and you have 200 points.

June 1, 2002 you receive 200 points to use by May 31, 2003 or bank according to this schedule:


Up until the last day of November you could bank 100% or 200 points.

Up until the last day of February you could bank up to 50% or 100 points.

Up until the last day of March you could bank 25% or 50 points.

During April-May you may no longer make the decision to bank any points.

Points can only be banked forward one year. Points banked into the 2003 Use Year would have to be used by May 31, 2004.

 

[dianeschlicht]

So glad to see another fellow riddler checking into DVC! Just ask all the questions you want. We all like to help over here!

 

[Beverly Lynn]

do all the dvc resorts charge the same amount of points per room? or is it different points for say OKW than it is for BWI or WLV? I am asking so many questions because if everything goes well then I want to seriously se ehow much it will cost to get into DVC, the problem is the decision of where I want my home dvc to be! I was thinking of even doing the resale thing!

 

[dianeschlicht]

No, the points are not the same for all resorts. OKW costs fewer points and has the lowest dues cost. BWV has 2 levels of points, standard and preferred. VWL has points that are the same cost as BWV preferred.

The tome here is "buy where you want to stay". Because you have the 11 month booking window in your home resort, you want to make sure you buy where you want that option. That being said, if you want OKW, you can usually get that at even the 7 month window or far less, but BWV is difficult to get on shorter notice. We had the option of BWV or OKW when we bought and chose OKW because we liked the quiet atmospherer and the townhouse style large units. We thought BWV was too much like a hotel, but then we live in the country, so don't prefer the more urban atmoshpere of the Boardwalk. There are definately location pluses to BWV and the new coming BCV. The ability to walk to Epcot and MGM is the greatest. OKW and VWL both have a more layed back atmosphere. OKW has parking outside your door, while VWL is another hotel type setting. I would reccomend you explore each resort before you decide.

 

[PamOKW]

No. The points are different. OKW requires the fewest points...Boardwalk Standard view is next....BW Preferred View and VWL (no different views) require the most points. BCV is expected to be the same as VWL. The points also vary by the five different seasons. HHI and Vero have their own seasons and point requirements.

A May weeknight in a 2-bedroom would cost 27 points at OKW; 34 points preferred at BWV or at VWL; 30 points standard view at BWV.

Does anyone have a point chart that Beverly Lynn could look at on-line?

 

[Jimbo]

Try this link: http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/dvc/7_DVCCharts/pointcharts.htm

It's a pretty clear list of point charts. It doesn't have the 2002 charts, but other than shifting the dates for some holidays, there's no change anyway.

 

[TrudyZ]

Beverly Lynn:

As for resales, you can only buy OKW and BWI thru resale.

You can buy HH, VB, and WLV thru Disney or resale (although they predict that WLV will sell out real soon).

When BC starts selling, it will only be thru Disney until something turns over (I would guess 6-9 months+).

Once you figure out where you want your "home" to be, then you can figure out where to look to purchase.

Resales are not at bargain basement prices like some other timeshares; but, if you watch what you are doing, you can save enough ($1000-2000 depending on contract, etc.) to make it worth your while.

RIght now, it appears to be a buyer's market, with the price of resales softening a little.

Good luck, and keep asking. We all appreciate your assistance on travel issues, and are happy to return the favor.

Trudy

 

[caverill]

I would like to echo the above post. Every DVC location has its "pros" and "cons".

OKW is a great resort with larger rooms and a very relaxing environment. You feel like you are really in your own home because of the way the buildings where constructed.

BWV (not BWI) is much more like a "hotel". The advantage of BWV is the closeness to EPCOT and MGM (walking distance). BCV will also have the same advantages of location. It looks like BCV will be doing a pre-sell soon, but the cost per points is expected to increase (to what we don't know).

VWL is an add-on to WL and (IMHO) feels like a cross between both. It, of course, is closer to the MK.

OKW and BWV are both sold out which means you would need to purchase via the resell market (a good option to look it). VWL will be selling out soon according to DVC.

In our case, we decided to purchase at BWV due to is location and our family size (no kids). We really like EPCOT and the boardwalk area. Each person needs to decide for themself.

The great thing about DVC is the flexibility. Just because you purchase at one location doesn't mean you can't stay at another. The only real difference (besides the number of points) is how far in advance you can make the reservations.

Many people will book their stay in their home resort at the 11 month window to make sure they get a room. Then at the 7 month window, they will try to switch to the other resorts. That is reason the waitlist is often successful.

We did just that for our next trip. We made a 7 day reservation at BWV at 11 months. At 7 months I called and "switched" two days from BWV to Vero Beach. This may not work everytime, but I believe it often does.

Hope this helps.