Opinions Please...Newbie getting ready to buy

[Cmbar]

Hi All! ( I have a referral, so no need to PM me! Thanks)

I know you have all got to be so sick of me asking questions as I am taking sooooooo long to make the final purchase. We are really at a stand still because of finally being able to purchase. We have the money in place and want to buy cash. However, I am obsessed with buying the right property. I know everyone says "buy where you want to stay". So we are heading to WDW in a few weeks for a quick trip, just DH and me and staying at the All Stars so we can basically "tour" DVC. I of course want to see the BLT models because honestly the Contemporary hotel has never done anything for me however I love the location, Maintenance fees, longer years and the possiblity of fitting five in a one bedroom more comfortably. We are only a family of four, but we are close with one of nephews and would like to take him along often.

So what do you think of us going to each resort (will they let me in OKW without staying there?). I know I won't be able to see the rooms, but I want to look at things like the pools, the food courts/restaurants, the grounds. I know that we can spend so much less if we purchase a resale so I don't want to buy into BLT and get there and hate the resort and wish I had bought at BCV or BWV or WLV. We stayed at SSR last year and liked it, but don't want to own there.

So any suggestion of what we should look for while touring the DVC properties. Do you think we are silly for doing this? I know for me it is just an excuse to get out of the winter her in Maryland and go to Disney. We aren't doing the parks, so it is not an expensive trip. Less than five hundred before food. I think this is a small amount compared to dropping 20k on something we might not like. We know DVC works for us, just not sure which one.

Oh and one more thing. Since we are not in a hurry, do you think waiting it out will lead to better incentives? We really arent' interested in the cruise because we wont' be buying enought points to get a four or seven day cruise.

Thanks for any opinion and your patience as we still can't make a decision!

 

[backyardponder]

You are absolutely doing the right thing. If you are flying, I recommend renting a car since it is hard to go from one resort to another by bus (but not impossible).

When you are looking at resorts, don't just think about maintenance fees. Look at number of points required to stay there. I was surprised at the number of points required at BLT...but...their maintenance fees seem to be lower, although it is hard to tell what they will do in the future.

Once you decide, then your next big decision is to buy direct or buy resale.

Good Luck!

 

[wtpclc]

One thing to keep in mind: If you really love one resort over all others, buy there. If there's a resort you absolutely DO NOT want to stay at, don't buy there. If you're undecided between a few, go with what makes the most sense fiscally.

Have a great trip!

 

[MikeNY]

Hi - I don't have answers to all of your questions, but I can share a couple of thoughts with you.

We purchased at SSR a few years ago because of the promotion that was being offered at the time. We loved it so much after a few visits that we added on additional points shortly thereafter. Looking back, we now wish that we had purchased points at BWV instead of adding at SSR. Why? Because Epcot is our favorite park, and we love the idea of being able to walk there from BWV. We've explored the Boardwalk many times, and love it - especially Jellyrolls - but we've never stayed in one of the rooms there. It's always booked and we've found it hard to get availability with the 7 month window.

So what am I trying to say with this long winded answer? <grin> Ask yourselves the following questions as you explore:
1) What's your favorite theme park and do you want to be within walking distance?
2) Is it more important to you to feel a million miles away from the theme parks? That's part of what we love so much about SSR.
3) Do you want both? Maybe buying points at two resorts is the answer.

Don't just go with the current promotion. Go with what suits your 'Disney style' best.

Hope that helps!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Don't give up on seeing the rooms at OKW or any others that don't still have units at the preview center. You can go to the front desk and ask if they can show you a unit.

 

[december14disney]

No one is upset! You should be doing this much research into DVC! Keep asking questions!

My fiance and I took a whole day and did the DVC tour and toured some resorts. We in our hearts knew that we wanted AKV because we have been to the lodge eating and animal viewing so many times and love it...BUT we still looked around. We have come to the consensus that we will probably add on at BWV or BCV a small resale that gives us priority for a couple nights at F&W but thats later. =)

Buy where you want to stay! You'll feel it when its "the one".

 

[Cmbar]

Thank you all so much for the advice so far. I hadn't really thought about buying two different resorts. If I had same use year I can combine them to use anywhere as long as I am at 7 months. I wouldn't be able to combine two different resort points at 8,9,10 or 11 mnths out, right?

I also didn't know we could possibly look at a room. I would love, to see a room at VWL. I like the resort, but hate a dark feel.

Thank so much also about the car. I am going to look into that! We would only need a small car since it is just the two of us and won't have hardly any luggage! Thanks for that tip!

 

[december14disney]

Thank you all so much for the advice so far. I hadn't really thought about buying two different resorts. If I had same use year I can combine them to use anywhere as long as I am at 7 months. I wouldn't be able to combine two different resort points at 8,9,10 or 11 mnths out, right?

I also didn't know we could possibly look at a room. I would love, to see a room at VWL. I like the resort, but hate a dark feel.

Thank so much also about the car. I am going to look into that! We would only need a small car since it is just the two of us and won't have hardly any luggage! Thanks for that tip!

Check out mousesavers.com for discounts on rental cars and also if you dont...subscribe to the monthly newsletter its great!
Also--AKV is "darker" than VWL but to me, at least, VWL still has that rustic feel.
You can combine points at 7 months but only book home resort 8-11. Also..I believe even if you have multiple use years you can combine and book a reservation.

 

[chalee94]

I hadn't really thought about buying two different resorts. If I had same use year I can combine them to use anywhere as long as I am at 7 months.

yes.

I wouldn't be able to combine two different resort points at 8,9,10 or 11 mnths out, right?

right.

 

[5forDiz]

Thank you all so much for the advice so far. I hadn't really thought about buying two different resorts. If I had same use year I can combine them to use anywhere as long as I am at 7 months. I wouldn't be able to combine two different resort points at 8,9,10 or 11 mnths out, right?

I also didn't know we could possibly look at a room. I would love, to see a room at VWL. I like the resort, but hate a dark feel.

Thank so much also about the car. I am going to look into that! We would only need a small car since it is just the two of us and won't have hardly any luggage! Thanks for that tip!

Yes you are correct - points from different resorts can only be combined at 7 months or less.

If you purchase different resorts via resale and you want one contract listed as ' master ' and other as ' add-on ' they'd need to have same Use Year month and you must be sure to have ownership listed exactly same on each contract and your resale agent & possibly you also will need to call to Disney's attention that one contract is the ' master ' contract and other is
' add-on ' to that contract prior to closing.

In addition to what Diane said about asking at desk to see room(s) some have posted here about viewing a room when they noticed a mousekeeper cleaning a unit where the guests had checked out but your best bet would be to stop at desk to ask. Check out the doings at the resorts with Community Halls too or ask to see the daily activities list.

You can pick up & drop-off a rental car on property ( there are a number of locations for most of the major rental companies on property including at Dolphin & most of Downtown Disney hotels ).

Best wishes & hope to welcome you home real soon

 

[kristenrice]

Just my $0.02...

If you are torn between 2 resorts and do not want to purchase contracts at both, one thing you might want to consider is the size and configuration of the resorts. We love OKW and AKV. They are both huge, but AKV has the value and concierge categories that can be difficult to get at 7 months. On the other hand, OKW is generally easier to get at 7 months (unless you need a GV, which we don't) so we opted to go with AKV for the 11-month window. As an added bonus, it has the longer contract.

Another thought...If you plan to go every year, you can buy a contract at 2 different resorts and still have the 11-month window. For example, you buy 160 points at AKV and 160 points at BLT. Year 1, you bank all of your AKV points and borrow all of your BLT points. That gives you 360 points to use at BLT in the 11 month window. Then, year 2, you have 360 points to use at 11 months at AKV.

Have fun on your "mega tour". It's something I would love to do someday, even though we are in no position to add on.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Just my $0.02...

If you are torn between 2 resorts and do not want to purchase contracts at both, one thing you might want to consider is the size and configuration of the resorts. We love OKW and AKV. They are both huge, but AKV has the value and concierge categories that can be difficult to get at 7 months. On the other hand, OKW is generally easier to get at 7 months (unless you need a GV, which we don't) so we opted to go with AKV for the 11-month window. As an added bonus, it has the longer contract.

Another thought...If you plan to go every year, you can buy a contract at 2 different resorts and still have the 11-month window. For example, you buy 160 points at AKV and 160 points at BLT. Year 1, you bank all of your AKV points and borrow all of your BLT points. That gives you 360 points to use at BLT in the 11 month window. Then, year 2, you have 360 points to use at 11 months at AKV.

Have fun on your "mega tour". It's something I would love to do someday, even though we are in no position to add on.

Sound advice.
How many points were you looking to buy? I feel that if it was under 200 then just buy at the resort that is harder to get into since you could trade out easier. If not you are stuck at your home resort.
We split 300 between BCV and VWL.

 

[JimMIA]

No one is upset! You should be doing this much research into DVC! Keep asking questions!

My fiance and I took a whole day and did the DVC tour and toured some resorts. We in our hearts knew that we wanted AKV because we have been to the lodge eating and animal viewing so many times and love it...BUT we still looked around. We have come to the consensus that we will probably add on at BWV or BCV a small resale that gives us priority for a couple nights at F&W but thats later. =)

Buy where you want to stay! You'll feel it when its "the one".

THANK YOU!

I agree. I wish everyone did this much research!

 

[JimMIA]

The one critical element I don't see in your description is whether you can reliably plan and book vacations 7+ months out, and stick to those plans. If that is not the way you plan vacations...your home resort doesn't really matter that much. Home resort matters ONLY if you can take advantage of the home resort booking window.

Another element is whether you really care where you stay. We're not all wrapped up in that, but it might be very important to you. I'm not a huge believer in "Buy where you want to stay" for every prospective buyer, but I would strongly recommend that you not buy where you DON'T want to stay.

 

[JimMIA]

Don't give up on seeing the rooms at OKW or any others that don't still have units at the preview center. You can go to the front desk and ask if they can show you a unit.

I always agree with Diane, so this will be no big shock. But definitely make an effort to see the rooms at OKW. The reason is, they are WAY bigger than the other resort rooms.

Temper that, however, with the knowledge that if you can get a room anywhere for particular dates...it will be at OKW or SSR, simply because of the size of the resorts. You don't need to own at OKW to stay at OKW, with the exception probably of December.

We've stayed at a number of the resorts (not all yet), but OKW remains our runaway favorite because of the spacious accommodations. I enjoy views and short walks and all sorts of things, but I stay in rooms. I haven't seen anything yet to compare to the rooms at OKW.

 

[kikiq]

So any suggestion of what we should look for while touring the DVC properties. Do you think we are silly for doing this? I know for me it is just an excuse to get out of the winter her in Maryland and go to Disney. We aren't doing the parks, so it is not an expensive trip. Less than five hundred before food. I think this is a small amount compared to dropping 20k on something we might not like. We know DVC works for us, just not sure which one.

This is exactly what we did before buying DVC (although our trip cost a little more than $500 coming from the west coast). We spent several hours at each resort, walking the grounds and having a meal at one of the restaurants. One of the things that my DH discovered was while Epcot and DHS are his favorite parks, he really doesn't care for the "hotel" feel of BWV and BCV. You also need to consider the "other" facilities of the resort. If you have a "no park" day, what other activities do you like to do on your vacation? Can you easily do those activities at your resort now and 20 years from now? Don't just think 5 years from now, but think 20 - 30 years from now. On our first trip home last summer, my DH took one day to check out BLT construction and the other activities available in that area. He is a tennis player and would like to stay at BLT to see if we should add on there. (This is up for discussion as I would like to add on GCV first)

 

[disneybride96]

We had great luck seeing the rooms at the sold out resorts. We just asked at the front desk during the slower parts of the day and most were happy to show us the rooms.

You may find that you like something you don't expect. We weren't big Contemporary fans either, but we loved the BLT rooms.

 

[Cmbar]

Thanks again everyone for the advice. To answer a few questions, we can and do often plan our trips way in advance. As of now our children are just hitting Middle school so it will be years when we will have to work around their schedules. Therefore times like spring break, thankgiving and Christmas may very well be times we want to go. Therefore we will plan at 11 months out and that is why I think the home resort we pick will be important to us. I also have discovered that we are not in the accomodation category. Some people buy DVC to get the extra room like at one bedroom and two bedroom. We have never stayed in one and to be honest I don't want to try for fear of loving in and then needing to use more points. We are happy with our studios. But I am looking more into DVC as a way of staying at Deluxe resorts instead of the value or moderates. We have stayed at all the levels of Disney Resorts and I just love the "extras" at the Deluxe but we don't want to spend that much each year to stay at a Deluxe. WE see DVC as a way to stay Deluxe over Value or Mod. Keep in mind we love Disney and go at least once a year. Ideally I would like to go once on a trip with my kids in the summer or school break and then a short trip with my parents in the yucky winter. We are hoping DVC will accomplish this for us.

 

[MikeNY]

It sounds like you're asking all the right questions and are considering all the appropriate facts. Your point about the 11 month booking window being critical for the times of year you mentioned is absolutely true. See what appeals to you most during your 'tour' and go for it. DVC was one of the BEST decisions we've ever made.

 

[mickey0930]

Would someone please post what resorts you feel are harder to get ressie's at the 7 month booking? I would like to know if this is one of the places we are considering making our purchase with.

Thanks