OKW and your retirement plans

[Simba's Mom]

Although we do plan to move when we retire, it won't be WDW. We do, however, plan to move much closer to WDW-a big factor is it must be within driving distance, not just flying. I want to spend lots of time visiting, so stocking up on more points is in our plans before retirement. Right now we're thinking of moving to Alabama, actually to cool down. The part of Texas we live in has a high "Winter Texan" retirement population, but summers are too hot and they go on forever (even Orlando would be cooler)!

 

[jeanniec]

Wolfpack Fan! Are you a native North Carolinian or a transplant? We moved here from Chicago 17 years ago, and it does seem that winters are getting worse. It has been so long since we have had a decent day here in Charlotte and it is always so windy lately. When we first moved here, we noticed the lack of really windy days which made it seem even warmer than it was. This year we have had nothing but wind, rain, ice, cold weather. At first we thought of moving to Florida, but we decided that NC would be more temperate. Not any more! Hope to spend lots more time at OKW as we retire in the next year probably. Would love to move to Hilton Head and do our Florida trips from there.

 

[OKW91]

I retired 3 years ago and am lucky that my sister-in-law lives on the gulf coast by Tampa. We come down in early December for a week with the kids and grandchildren at WDW. We return in January and spend a week at OKW and a couple of weeks in Tampa, then back to WDW for another week or two. We alternate back and forth till the beginning of April, then return home, this gives us about a month at OKW, and a couple months in Tampa. I realize that not everyone has relatives in Florida, but this works out great for us! Otherwise we would only be able to stay at OKW the month of January and part of Feburary, in a studio.

 

[DBBN]

I've seen threads with the same topic once or twice before and enjoy hearing about retirement plans that include DVC.

We've been planning our retirement at OKW since 1995 when we bought our first contract from Disney. We'll be staying in a one bedroom villa from mid November through the end of February or possibly early March.

Our plan was to accumulate 300 points per year until ready for retirement in 3 years or so. That plan fell behind last year when OKW resale prices were higher than we were willing to pay. Just this week we closed on a 300 point resale and I couldn't be happier with that purchase. I'd like to buy another 600 points this year to get us back on track to our goal of 2800 points. We now have 1375 all at OKW.

All in all we're quite pleased with the way our plan is coming together. There is one thing I'm uncomfortable with...the logistics of making all the reservations necessary to ensure an uninterupted stay. I really don't think it will be a problem for us but you never can tell. It's been easy to reserve OKW and hopefully the future won't change that.

If I could make one change to the reservation process it would be to allow reservations at the home resort 11 months from the check-in date vs the check-out date. Wishful thinking...I know the process won't change.

 

[Dancind]

Winner of best retirement plan - DBBN! We just plan to move to Orlando and use our points to stay on site during some slower times of year, and especially for the Food & Wine Festival, and a stay in early Dec. I'm sure we'll also discover the joys of HH and VB then, since we haven't yet. Don't know if we'll need the points to cruise, since we may be able to use FL resident discounts, but we could if we want to! Diana

 

[Deemarch]

We can't wait until retirement age...That's 11 years away. We are looking to move to the Melbourne area of Florida soon...Very soon, hopefully 2004 will be the year! We only have 200 points so far, so we will sneak away for weekdays to SSR for now. An add on may be in our future...We figured that with the savings of airfare and a rental car we'd have about $750 more per visit...Add it all up and we can add more points!!!

"A dream is a wish your heart makes"...So far, all of our dreams have come true! There's no stopping us now!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yep, our plan is pretty much the same. I would LOVE to have 1000 points for this! Unfortunately, I only have 380, and might be having access to an additional 150 in a couple years. That will still only give me 530 points, and I would need at least 640 to stay in a 1 bedroom for 4 weeks in January at OKW. I doubt my family would let me stay without them visiting, so I guess I will have to beg borrow or steal more points!

 

[chrissyk]

Originally posted by jeanniec
Wolfpack Fan! Are you a native North Carolinian or a transplant? We moved here from Chicago 17 years ago, and it does seem that winters are getting worse. It has been so long since we have had a decent day here in Charlotte and it is always so windy lately. When we first moved here, we noticed the lack of really windy days which made it seem even warmer than it was. This year we have had nothing but wind, rain, ice, cold weather. At first we thought of moving to Florida, but we decided that NC would be more temperate. Not any more! Hope to spend lots more time at OKW as we retire in the next year probably. Would love to move to Hilton Head and do our Florida trips from there.

I think that the worsening weather is happening throughout the area from about NC to Maine. That's just my opinion, but I've read a few articles that support this theory. Anyways, I laughed when I saw this old thread come back up on the DVC board. I guess we hadn't firmed up our plans the last time I posted to this thread. Our house is under construction in Celebration as I type this, and we're headed down for the framing walk-thru in a couple of weeks We're done with cold winters (and no, we're not retirees, LOL!)

 

[spiceycat]

you are going to live in Celebration - that is great!!!

so when are you having a house warning and inviting all your DVC friends.....

just kidding!!! (I think)....

I would love to live there!

 

[jmminarik]

We're not anywhere near retiring, but this thread got me thinking about how nice a month off in January would be. Maybe I need to move to our London office where I'll get 8 weeks 'Holiday'. Makes a month in OKW much more likely.

-Joe

 

[chrissyk]

Originally posted by spiceycat
you are going to live in Celebration - that is great!!!

so when are you having a house warning and inviting all your DVC friends.....

just kidding!!! (I think)....

I would love to live there!

We wanted to live in a planned community so our kids could walk to school and the park and such. Celebration was our favorite out of the ones that we looked at. Avalon Park was also very nice, but Celebration was more in line with what we were looking for. I wonder if we'll still like Disney as much once we're living 10 minutes away, LOL!

 

[Poohstar]

Hi Chrissky,

I sent you a PM.

 

[tvwalsh]

and I have still never stayed at OKW in the winter longer than about twelve nights. All my 2008 points are used and all I have scheduled is 6 nights in an OKW GV in Sept-Oct and 6 nights in an OKW 2br in January. I am already 63 years old and retired so maybe I will never use the points for the month of February but maybe that is all right too.

How are your plans working out?

 

[Grandbuddy]

and I have still never stayed at OKW in the winter longer than about twelve nights. All my 2008 points are used and all I have scheduled is 6 nights in an OKW GV in Sept-Oct and 6 nights in an OKW 2br in January. I am already 63 years old and retired so maybe I will never use the points for the month of February but maybe that is all right too.

How are your plans working out?

This is quite a "bump!"

 

[ZekeKelso]

This is quite a "bump!"

Kinda cool bump in this case. Be interesting to see what people thought they would do with their DVC points many years ago, and how that's working out.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Retiring to Tennessee is now a consideration for us, and so, wintering for a month at least at a DVC resort, is still a possibility for us. Our "mix" of resorts would include AKV, OKW and VB.

Bobbi

 

[MdmMim]

My old 2003 post:

My goal is to spend all of January and half of February at the BWV. Right now, I am working toward that, as I have ressies from Jan. 15 through Feb. 17, but in order to totally accomplish that goal, I must wean myself away from my December trips. (Not an easy thing to do!) Or add-on once again.

I love extended stays at the BWV. It's great not paying attention to a calendar or clock

Now in the present: I have been spending about a month at the BWV in the winter, and have shifted my usual vacation dates from mid-Jan/mid-Feb to mostly all in January (fewer points needed). I have not cut out my Dec trips, and now also go in Oct.

Note: I did add on a few times. I couldn't cut out an annual December trip.

 

[iluvdisney]

That would be a dream come true - to stay at my fave DVC for the month of January and most of February - I hope that I can do that sometime soon - just don't know if I could leave "my lil' dog" for that long - and I do enjoy my trips thru-out the year. Will have to check into this kind of planning!

 

[spiceycat]

- just don't know if I could leave "my lil' dog" for that long - and I do enjoy my trips thru-out the year. Will have to check into this kind of planning!

disney has some nice kennels - so you could go visit every day.

believe me if my current cats were the travelers that Spicey was - would be there alot longer. instead of my 5 days stay.

 

[Goofy DVC]

We bought OKW in 93 at the old age of 31. Believe it or not we immediately started talking about January's at OKW when we retire. Now that there is so many other DVC resorts we talk about a week here and a week there and week there and another week over there. You get the picture.