On the verge of joining!

[FourForrests]

I would like to get some opinions from the experts...you!
My family was at WDW in September and we had a great time! My wife and I would like to return each year with the kids so we are looking at DVC.

I am looking for suggestions on which home resort to choose. Here are some of my considerations:

1. Our children are young (3 & 5) and the first would be entering school next year. So we would mostly be going in the summer or during school breaks.

2. I am looking for the "most bang for the buck". In other words, what resort gives us the best rooms for the least points (OKW?!). I would want to get one week.

any other advice would be helpful.

Thanks,

Rob

 

[wdwnut]

hi: here's a link to the dvc faq http://64.225.125.24/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1571
this will answer your basic questions. the only dvc resort available directly through disney at this time is the villas at wilderness lodge. okw and bwv are only available via resale now. the mantra you will hear repeated here is "buy where you plan to stay". this will give you the 11 month priority when booking your trips. both vwl and bwv are associated with their respective hotels. if the mk is a priority, then vwl may suit you better. if epcot or mgm is tops, then bwv may be a better choice. okw has more units available and the 1br and larger units are significantly bigger than the ones at bwv and vwl. points do go further here. it is also farther from the major parks than the other two; you would need to take the buses or drive to the parks. bwv is a little more hustle and bustle type atmosphere; it is walking distance to epcot and mgm. vwl has the same size units as bwv and is only a short boat ride from the mk. each dvc resort has its advantages and disadvantages. look at the pictures on this site, the official site, and www.ourlaughing place.com to get a feel for the resorts. post any questions you have; someone will answer them.

 

[spiceycat]

yes okw gives you the most vacation time for the least amount of points (money). The rooms are also bigger at OKW than BWV or VWL

there is a trade off - BWV is within walking/boat distance of Epcot and Studio, VWL is within boating distance of MK, the only thing you can walk/boat to at OKW is DD.

you might also consider thanksgiving if your schools do what they are starting here - 3 days off and sometimes 4 days off (teacher day).

summer in Orlando is HOT, spring break can be crowded (depends upon how many states have spring break when your does).

 

[Mickbee]

In addition to the number of points required per visit, compare the total cost of the points as well. If you purchase a resale, you would have to pay the closing costs which would run $350+ depending on the size contract you purchase. You would also have to factor in the current years dues. If the current use year has points remaining, the owner may want you to pay the current years dues proportionate to the number of points remaining.

Depending on the size accommodation you are seeking, you could buy a 100 point resale at OKW and you would be able to stay just about any time of the year for six nights in a studio(somebody correct me if I am mistaken). However, the small contracts are few and far between and tend to demand a higher price than a large contract.

As most DVC owners have found, purchasing additional points is always in the future once you are hooked. Think about how long you want to stay, the size unit and the time of year. If you purchase the initial contract and do plan to add on in the future with another resale, try to get the same use year. It makes it easier to manage your points. This would be a slightly more difficult task than dealing with Disney directly.

If you purchase through Disney, you do not pay closing costs, and the annual dues for your first year are prorated. Currently the Magical Beginnings offered at VWL are $10.00 if you sell your first years points back. This is a nice vehicle to reduce your out of pocket if you do not intend to return this year. A consideration with the MBs is the Disney price (factoring closing costs and dues) become very competitive to resales.

If you have young kids, like quiet, convenience to MK, VWL would be a good way to go.

I am sure many of the veterans could elaborate, correct or add to this. I hope it helps. Either route you take will be good. I would suggest to select your preferred location and then figure out your point requirements and enjoy.

One last thing: Disney also offers financing if you purchase through them directly.

Good luck!

 

[Lisa P.]

OKW definitely gives you the most bang for your buck (lower purchase price, lower maintenance fees, fewer points for home resort stays). It's also very, very family friendly, IMHO. It would be my choice, especially if you like to be able to park your car conveniently close to your villa (great with sleepy children or bags of groceries). If you are great fans of MK, VWL, though more expensive, would be a fun home resort. So would Beach Club, for convenient access to StormAlong Bay, if you planned to wait until it opens to buy. BWV seems to appeal more to teens, adults and those who really like a bustling, action atmosphere. When our children were younger, BWV was fun but rather high stimulation for them. At OKW, we all really liked the upbeat, steel drum, island music poolside and the soothing pastel decor and lush flowered landscaping.

Overall, I think you would appreciate the resort differences more by browsing the DVC website with photos of each home resort, to get a feel for where your family might most enjoy their stays. Or wait for your next visit to stop in to each resort and see what appeals to you. Certainly, yearly visits staying onsite would make a purchase a reasonable consideration for you. Hope this helps.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

One idea you might consider is going to the points for rent board and renting some points and planning your next vacation in WDW where you would actually stay at a couple of the resorts and see which one you really like. Go swim in the BWV pool, head over to OKW and check it out, eat at Olivia's, visit WLV for a swim and dinner and talk to someone about the Beach Club. If an offsite resort is a consideration, you could also try a Vero Beach and Hilton Head stay (we have young children too, and the beach is a nice choice for us).

Depending on how many points your planning on buying, there are several people who have points at more than one resort. One strategy is to bank all the points for one resort one year and use the alternative resort that year, and then switch, so that you can switch between the two resorts every year, you could stay at WLV one year, then the next year, bank those WLV points and stay at Vero (as an example). Or, having a combination WDW and beach vacation seems to work well for us. I hope this last paragraph makes sense and isn't just confusing things more for you, given my poor explanation.

Seeing is believing, my humble suggestion is to go visit the resorts your interested in and see which one you really like. This board can give you lots of hints regarding what to look for, (ie. looking for a pool slide? Won't find one at OKW, but you'll have bigger rooms and a great golf course view. Is a boat ride to the Magic Kindom important with your young kids? WLV may be more attractive and preferable over the bos rides from other DVC resorts.)

The rental board is a great way cost effective way to check out resorts. And, since your staying on points, I believe that your entitled to pool hopping priviledges which will allow you to check out resorts in a fun way.