Outsider View/Question

[spgoad]

Hey guys,

I'm not in a seriously considering boat yet for DVC, but more just casually looking at it. I've ready quite a few posts here in the forum, and I hear people talking about how expensive it is to buy direct now. I get that prices have gone up alot, and some of that can obviously be accounted to inflation over the years. But in comparing the resorts, it seems to me the biggest increase is coming in the quality of the resort. I mean, I look at resorts like OKW, BCV, BWV, etc and the rooms I see look like timeshare resort rooms I could buy in Branson, Texas coastal towns, etc. I'm sure the resorts have a few Disney touches and I get that they are kitchens and all that which make them better than the Disney resort hotels for alot of people, but the rooms and designs fail to impress me. Now the more recent resorts: AKV, BLT, and the new Aulani in Hawaii, these look impressive... honestly they look like Disney Deluxe hotels with the great designs and theming I would expect from a Disney on-site hotel. Is this just Disney taking advantage of the popularity of DVC to build nicer hotels into the system, or am I completely missing it? To me the difference in quality and location makes perfect sense why BLT is most expensive DVC resort to buy into yet.

 

[Deb & Bill]

OKW was built nearly 20 years ago. BWV, VB and HHI were built shortly thereafter. What was built 10 or 20 years ago isn't what is built now. Styles change. Hotel looks change.

Since member fees pay for any renovations, unless member dues go up 100% each year (and they aren't allowed to do that), there isn't the funds to pay for drastic renovations to the older resorts. Even with the full renovation of OKW and BWV, there were lots of things that weren't done at all - nothing in the bathrooms at OKW, no appliance replacement except for televisions and stove tops.

 

[katybug34]

OKW was built nearly 20 years ago. BWV, VB and HHI were built shortly thereafter. What was built 10 or 20 years ago isn't what is built now. Styles change. Hotel looks change.

Since member fees pay for any renovations, unless member dues go up 100% each year (and they aren't allowed to do that), there isn't the funds to pay for drastic renovations to the older resorts. Even with the full renovation of OKW and BWV, there were lots of things that weren't done at all - nothing in the bathrooms at OKW, no appliance replacement except for televisions and stove tops.

This ^ and the main reason you pay such a premium at BLT is location, location, location!

 

[spgoad]

Ok, so sounds like I basically got it spot on. Obviously AKL doesn't have the good location of BLT, but it has the more up-to-date feel and such, so that difference is understandable.

Now why is AKL so much cheaper in resale than direct from Disney? I mean, I was seeing $72 a point in resale, compare to over $100 direct. Is that just people trying to get rid of their contract quickly?

 

[palaemon]

Now why is AKL so much cheaper in resale than direct from Disney? I mean, I was seeing $72 a point in resale, compare to over $100 direct. Is that just people trying to get rid of their contract quickly?

1) It's the 2nd or 3rd largest DVC, so lots of inventory.

2) Higher MFs - because of the savannah/animals

3) Add to the above w/ the fact that BLT came out (but was announced earlier in AKVs run) and BLT is more sought after (CR, Monorail, MK)

4) It's so isolated - far from almost everything.

5) Some really don't like the darker decor.

Personally, I wish they had the decor of BLT in a larger stand-alone resort - Not on monorail and no MK proximity.

 

[littlestar]

It's too soon to know what's going to happen to BLT prices in the future when the new BLT members have life changing events - death, divorce, downsizing, etc.., and when those contracts start showing up resale in bulk it will be interesting to watch. Also, there's already talk of excessive wear and tear on BLT rooms, so who knows how they'll look in a few more years. I think DVC hiked the price up on BLT because it was the first DVC resort on the monorail. Should be interesting to watch values in the future.

And actually, BCV has held its own pretty well considering it expires in 2042 - it helps that you can walk into the back of Epcot in about five minutes. Actually, both BLT and BCV have killer locations as far as park access. Location drives price in my honest opinion. You know the old saying, location, location, location.

And most timeshare veterans don't really consider any DVC unit as upscale. When I think upscale, I think of Four Seasons and possibly Hyatt or Westin.

 

[spgoad]

palaemon - Thanks for the details on AKL. I didn't realize they had higher maintenance fees because of the environment it sits in.

littlestar - That makes sense about not considering DVC an upscale timeshare, it is more of a family thing. I guess I was comparing them in terms of the Disney resorts that I'm used to seeing. I do think BCV is in a great location, especially if you are more inclined to go to Epcot and DHS. I don't think I'll even want to consider old resorts though... for the reasons I've already mentioned plus the fact that in 2042 my wife and I will probably not even be retired yet. If I were to buy, I'd want a contract to take us well into retirement. Currently I have tendency to lean towards BLT because of location, though I do love the AKL theming. At this point I'm trying not to think about it too much, probably still a year or two out from buying if we do. Alot can change in that time.

 

[crisi]

If you like the Disney Deluxe hotels (which are FAR from deluxe outside WDW), you may be disappointed in the long term upkeep of DVC. Resorts are maintained by member fees, and have longer refurb cycles. They are only cleaned once a week if you are staying the whole week.

But what thrills one person in terms of theming doesn't thrill the next. I like VWL, I don't like SSR - a lot of people think the furnishings of SSR are the nicest in DVC. Find VAKL to dark - but do like the animals. Think BLT is cold feeling - there is nothing "themed" about a contemporary high rise to me - even if you put a few Mickey Mouse pictures on the wall.

 

[Mjasp]

If you like the Disney Deluxe hotels (which are FAR from deluxe outside WDW), you may be disappointed in the long term upkeep of DVC. Resorts are maintained by member fees, and have longer refurb cycles. They are only cleaned once a week if you are staying the whole week.

But what thrills one person in terms of theming doesn't thrill the next. I like VWL, I don't like SSR - a lot of people think the furnishings of SSR are the nicest in DVC. Find VAKL to dark - but do like the animals. Think BLT is cold feeling - there is nothing "themed" about a contemporary high rise to me - even if you put a few Mickey Mouse pictures on the wall.

Interesting post, thanks for your take on it. I love hearing other opinions.

 

[ToddyLu]

This is the analogy I use for DVC for DH and I =

DVC changes our trip to Disney like a Corvette would change my drive to work.

 

[spgoad]

If you like the Disney Deluxe hotels (which are FAR from deluxe outside WDW), you may be disappointed in the long term upkeep of DVC. Resorts are maintained by member fees, and have longer refurb cycles. They are only cleaned once a week if you are staying the whole week.

But what thrills one person in terms of theming doesn't thrill the next. I like VWL, I don't like SSR - a lot of people think the furnishings of SSR are the nicest in DVC. Find VAKL to dark - but do like the animals. Think BLT is cold feeling - there is nothing "themed" about a contemporary high rise to me - even if you put a few Mickey Mouse pictures on the wall.

Interesting. Thanks for your thoughts. I hadn't thought about the long term upkeep of the place being an issue. I agree with you on BLT being a bland theme, but as a Gen Y'er I tend to like contemporary style more than what I might call the traditional style of BCV. Still, VAKL is WAY better themed and that is primarily why I'd consider it.

Honestly, I've never stayed at a deluxe... only been to WDW once and we stayed at All-Start Music. I don't think the lack of housekeeping while there would be a problem for me, I'd probably prefer to clean up after myself actually. My primary reason for looking at DVC would be to upgrade the type of room I'd stay in. I'd probably never be able to justify paying OOP for a deluxe hotel, but I could probably justify buying into DVC. I guess like ToddyLu says, it'd be like upgrading the my drive to work to a corvette. Could I live with staying in a value everytime I goto WDW, maybe. Would I much prefer to upgrade my room and/or location, definitely.

 

[Dean]

Hey guys,

I'm not in a seriously considering boat yet for DVC, but more just casually looking at it. I've ready quite a few posts here in the forum, and I hear people talking about how expensive it is to buy direct now. I get that prices have gone up alot, and some of that can obviously be accounted to inflation over the years. But in comparing the resorts, it seems to me the biggest increase is coming in the quality of the resort. I mean, I look at resorts like OKW, BCV, BWV, etc and the rooms I see look like timeshare resort rooms I could buy in Branson, Texas coastal towns, etc. I'm sure the resorts have a few Disney touches and I get that they are kitchens and all that which make them better than the Disney resort hotels for alot of people, but the rooms and designs fail to impress me. Now the more recent resorts: AKV, BLT, and the new Aulani in Hawaii, these look impressive... honestly they look like Disney Deluxe hotels with the great designs and theming I would expect from a Disney on-site hotel. Is this just Disney taking advantage of the popularity of DVC to build nicer hotels into the system, or am I completely missing it? To me the difference in quality and location makes perfect sense why BLT is most expensive DVC resort to buy into yet.

I don't see that DVD has escalated the points simply as a way to increase the price. Some may disagree from OKW to BWV for example but OKW was clearly underpriced. OF course RTU expiration will have some value and affect the price as well. Put another way, if there were to be another resort very similar to SSR, I'd expect the points to be the same and the price per point to be somewhat higher due to inflation and a longer RTU. It think this has held true in general with each new resort after BWV other than I though VWL should have been minimally less than BCV and BWV. I think AKV came in meeting those criteria as did BLT (upgraded option due to location).

 

[Sandisw]

I also think that Disney is getting the price for BLT because of its location and the feeling of being right there in the midst of the "magic".

We, before DVC, stayed most often at the CR, because we loved being able to walk to/from MK. It remains our favorite park (and our children are older so its not because we have little ones any longer) so easily getting to it was important to us.

We did spend extra to buy because we did not want to chance being elsewhere. We have since tried some of the other DVC's and realize that our 2nd choice resorts are the Epcot resorts so most of our summer trips will likely be split stays between BLT and either BWV or BCV, depending on which one we can get at 7 months.

But, when deciding about the program, we decided that DVC really afforded us the luxury of upgrading the type of room we would be in. Last summer, we stayed in a 1 bedroom and this year, it is a 2 bedroom. Without DVC, we would never outlay that kind of money at one time. There is just something different about spending it all upfront. It just doesn't seem as expensive now, even though we had to spend a lot when we bought.

 

[18sprint]

I really think that you may be missing what Disney was/is trying to do with thier designs of resorts. Look at the Value resorts for example. Bright colors, everything is big, oversized and Disney is everywhere you turn. Our first few stays were at the values and we loved them. Then we moved up to the moderates. Now, again, this is my opinion only. The moderates were toned way down in Disney terms, at least from the "hitting you in the face" effect. Moderates along with the deluxes have very specific theming with great Disney details, but without making you feel like you're in a cartoon. Our first DVC stay was at Saratoga Springs, and although it is a very, very nice resort, to me it is "cold". But again, it is themed to look like up-state New York. Our home resort is OKW and we chose it because of it's theming. Quiet, lush, overgrown and very colorful. It comes down to, "what YOU like". That is the most important thing. I would highly recommend taking time to tour the resorts before deciding on what your home resort may be.

 

[mdsd8700]

Although you say you are not seriously on the boat to purchase yet. Just looking around and getting some answers and a feel for DVC. I do agree with18sprint in that you need to have a feel and understanding of all the resorts because they are much more than the pictures you can see on line. Although those pictures are great for knowing what the rooms/villas look like they cannot capture the essense of the resort. We have been going to Disney for 14 years and although we had never been in a DVC room prior to our purchase we had either stayed at or visted each of the resorts. So we knew exactly what we wanted when we purchased, which was BLT. Due to location and contract length. So I would say to keep up your research and ask as many questions as you can. You will find pretty all the information you need right here.

 

[LSchrow]

It's interesting that you feel BLT is the most upscale of DVC resorts. We mostly stayed deluxe before we bought into DVC, but doubt we would have bought into it at all if. BLT was the only option - it holds no appeal for us (we own at 3 other resorts),
We love the diversity of the DVC resort selection. IMHO, they are all a class above even the deluxe WDW resorts, just with differing themes.