Owning points at two different reosrts...making ressies...

[wildernesslodgelover]

Hello...I did not know exactly how to title this thread...here is my question...

DH and I did the SSR tour this past week. We are ready to buy 150 points. We like that you get 12 more years with SSR, plus there is a $1500 "gift" that you can put towards your down payment that is an attractive incentive.

BUT---We keep hearing "buy where you want to stay" and we want to stay at VWL more often than not.

We do not travel at peak season. We usually travel during the week. Of course this could change, but that is how we do things now.

So what if we added to our 150 points at SSR and bought 25 points at VWL at a later date? Would we be able to rent there 11 months out at VWL when the majority of our points (150) are at SSR?

Hope I made my question clear enough and thank you for your responses. My DH, DD6 and I are VERY excited at the prospect of being DVC owners!

 

[TLH1977]

Thank you for posting the question..i was wondering the same thing. We would rather buy into the BWV but thought it was stupid not to get the extra years wtih SSR. So we were considering buying 150 at SSR and 50 at BWV. Im curious to hear what others have to say.

 

[bongo59]

buying at SSR for those reasons make sense but the real benefit is the 15 yrs extra and the value built into SSR...........and my view is as us early DVC owners age gracefully we will want to stay closer to DTD anyhow..........i think when the resort is built out it will far exceed most initial drawbacks much like BCV did............people tend to over dramatized their home resorts........they are all good but when comparing them it is really down to splitting hairs..........i think i have a good grasp on it cause we own every one...............and we like em all.............

 

[Cruelladeville]

It sounds like you are asking if you can buy 50 pts at VWL or BWV to get the 11 month window, and then use your SSR points there, too. The answer to that is no, at least not at the 11 month window. If you have 50 pts at VWL then that's how many points you can use to book at 11 months(unless you borrow from the next year). You have to wait until the 7 month window to use your SSR points at the other resorts.

I own at two resorts, travel at peak times, and have never had much problem booking, but I do find it hard to keep the points from my two "homes" separate. I like owning at two resorts!

 

[rinkwide]

Ask yourself this: why is Disney offering a $1500 buy-back on a resort that offers 12 more years of ownership?

The short awnser is that you always get what you pay for. If those 12 years of points were given to you up front that would be one thing. When they are promised to you but are still 30+ years away they really aren't worth very much right now.

As for the $1500 bucks: I'd say that just get's SSR back to a competitive pricepoint.

You can't work the system with a small add-on. If you love VWL buy a resale there. You'll be very happy you did as Saratoga grows to massive proportions (800 units) over the next number of years and puts a burden of increased membership on the smaller resorts (VWL - 135 units).

 

[Silos]

Ask yourself this: why is Disney offering a $1500 buy-back on a resort that offers 12 more years of ownership?

The short awnser is that you always get what you pay for. If those 12 years of points were given to you up front that would be one thing. When they are promised to you but are still 30+ years away they really aren't worth very much right now.

As for the $1500 bucks: I'd say that just get's SSR back to a competitive pricepoint.

You can't work the system with a small add-on. If you love VWL buy a resale there. You'll be very happy you did as Saratoga grows to massive proportions (800 units) over the next number of years and puts a burden of increased membership on the smaller resorts (VWL - 135 units).

It would appear that the $1500 discount on SSR was developed to spur the market on Disney vacations as well as membership. However, if you future value the resort cost out over the additional 12 years there is value calculated. Also, when you factor inflation and the possibilty of increase membership cost the $85 as opposed to the $95 over the membership years has increased value. I agree the $85 brings SSR back to a competitive price but I also anticipate prices to increase in the very near future. I also agree that the small add ons will not be a very effective way of working the system.

 

[DebbieB]

They are offering the $1,500 discount because the points will not be available until later this year when the new buildings are completed. They usually backdate points but they cannot do that since the buildings are not completed. For example, if you bought now you would usually get points back to around August 2004. They can't do that because the existing buildings are soldout.

 

[rinkwide]

...if you future value the resort cost out over the additional 12 years there is value calculated...

Indeed, financial experts much smarter than I have put that value at around $2 per point. Like I said, not worth very much right now.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Arrrgh! I feel so stressed trying to make this decision!

rinkwide-Yes, i keep forgetting that VWL is ONLY 135 units! That does add to the decision!

Cruella-Yes, thank you for giving me the basic answer. I knew it could not be "that easy!" Then everyone would buy a few points at a bunch of different resorts and use them 11 months out everywhere.

This is an interesting discussion and I hope it continues. I do like hearing all the pros and cons. I have been lurking on this board the past day or so, trying to read old threads that deal with this subject (and any other question I have.)

Editing to add...

At the sales presentation, our salesperson kept mentioning "85,000 members of DVC." Is that how many people own? the reason I am asking is if that IS how many people own at DVC, then I am thinking that adding 800 to that number (the units to be sold at SSR) is really not that bad, and should not affect things too much. Am I right?

Thanks for the responses.

 

[Dean]

Would you pay the same for a house off the beach as the same one one the beach? I don't think the extra years is worth trying to scramble every year. Now if you want to stay at SSR, try out other resorts at times and VWL part of the time (when you can get it); I think it's fine. So it really depends on how much you want to stay at your home resort.

 

[iankh]

Wildernesslodgelover - I went through exactly the same decision making process last week, right down to the preference of not travelling at peak season.

We opted for a VWL resale, over SSR. The price was a bit better, which put more points within grasp (though I know it isn't over until the ROFR sings).

I thought about the extra 12 years at SSR too. But we came to this conclusion:

1) We LOVE the Wilderness Lodge and that would be our first choice for where to stay.

2) The 12 extra years at SSR is nice, but we'll probably be dead by that time anyway. I don't mean be crass or shocking, but that really did go into our thought process. I have bought and sold real estate several times and I approached this decision from a completely different angle than I would have if it were otherwise. So, whoever inherits my DVC points will get a very pleasant few years of enjoying it. I ultimately decided that for our decision making process we chose not to worry what happened when we are in our late 80's and early 90's.

3) VWL is the smallest resort (a big plus in our eyes), we wanted the 11 month window.

Given all this (and much nail biting), I signed the resale contract and sent off my deposit check last week.

 

[Silos]

Wildernesslodgelover - I went through exactly the same decision making process last week, right down to the preference of not travelling at peak season.

We opted for a VWL resale, over SSR. The price was a bit better, which put more points within grasp (though I know it isn't over until the ROFR sings).

I thought about the extra 12 years at SSR too. But we came to this conclusion:

1) We LOVE the Wilderness Lodge and that would be our first choice for where to stay.

2) The 12 extra years at SSR is nice, but we'll probably be dead by that time anyway. I don't mean be crass or shocking, but that really did go into our thought process. I have bought and sold real estate several times and I approached this decision from a completely different angle than I would have if it were otherwise. So, whoever inherits my DVC points will get a very pleasant few years of enjoying it. I ultimately decided that for our decision making process we chose not to worry what happened when we are in our late 80's and early 90's.

3) VWL is the smallest resort (a big plus in our eyes), we wanted the 11 month window.

Given all this (and much nail biting), I signed the resale contract and sent off my deposit check last week.

Your thought process is excellent. It appears you made the decision on where you want to stay most of the time which is exactly how this decision should be ultimately made. We have toured SSR and find it to be a very nice resort. Also, being close to DTD fits our vacation needs very well. As far as the additional years I agree that whoever inherits the DVC will have some nice vacations. Good luck on your resale option.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Dean-Well, I must admit....we will want to stay at VWL MOST of the time, but we are interested in checking out other resorts. I will say that we liked that DTD was within walking distance of SSR...

iankh-Sounds like you know EXACTLY how I am feeling! The thing is, we are in our mid thirties, and I would love to give the the DVC ownership to our DD6 (she is our only child) as a wedding or college gift one day. So I do keep those 12 extra years in mind when I think of it that way.

So are there actually 85,000 DVC owners?

Thank you!

 

[rinkwide]

...I would love to give the the DVC ownership to our DD6 (she is our only child) as a wedding or college gift one day...

I know it's hard to believe but most adults don't share the consuming obsession for Disney that's prevalent on these boards. There's a good chance that in 30 years your daughter won't want the burden of having to pay a sizeable annual fee for a dwindling vacation membership that's hard to unload on a depresed resale market. Of course, she'll smile and graciously accept it anyway.

 

[dougmatt]

OK. I guess you got the answer you needed, that NO you CANNOT use the 150 SSR points to book 11 months out at VWL for more points than you actually own / have available at VWL...

To add to some discussion, I own 4 resorts. Most of my points at bwv, some at vb, hh, and VWL. We bought the small add-on at VWL and HH to ensure we could get in when we wanted to travel (peak season / high demand). We typically only do a 5 day / week day ressie in a studio, and have found that getting weekends at the 7 month is not a large problem calling day by day even during peak... I personally don't care for SSR (yet), but if I were to be buying my FIRST contract today I would probably buy there .

NOTE - I mentioned the majority of our points are at BWV.... We have never stayed there using our points (have stayed on others points)............ Owned since 98....... While I advocate the "own where you want to stay" philosophy, it really is only important about 10 - 15% of the time.. Like summer weeks at HH.... Spring weeks at VB. XMAS at VWL... etc... 7 month isn't THAT hard to get a room at, unless you are REALLY doing peak travel weeks. How bad would you feel if 1 out of 10 trips you HAD to stay at SSR instead of VWL or another resort? Would it be SOOOO BAD?!?

The way we do this is at 11 months we call and book BWV for our trip dates, then at 7 months we call and change. Haven't had a time we could do it YET. Sometimes folks on this board play up the own where you want to stay factor... It is IMPORTANT, but not ALWAYS the MOST important factor...

 

[Rpsemont]

When I researched this some months ago (by reading TONS of posts) the prevailing wisdom was "buy where you want to stay" So we did. We bought 150 points FROM DISNEY for BWV at $89/point. Definitely not the most cost effective, $$ to $$, but as it turned out, we used those for a stay last Nov and will use them in a few short weeks, and we financed through Disney. If we had done the resale route, we would not be members now and would be paying cash for 2 vacations. We already know we need more points (LOL!) so we're thinking of adding on with SSR (because that is now least expensive, per point, life of contract). I think you should decide if saving a few $$ is more important, or staying at WLV is more important. You may also find that your vacation habbits may change over time. Good luck with your decision.

 

[iankh]

Wildernesslodgelover,

You make a good point about age. If I had been in my 30's I think I might have looked at the whole picture differently. In that case, and extra 12 years could be very valuable.

 

[LIFERBABE]

To answer your question regarding total membership, yes there are 85,000 to 90,000 DVC members now and growing faster than they can build. DVC acknowledges in the Public Offering Statement that the addition of new units can impact availability at the smaller DVC resorts, but they do have a ratio they cant exceed so even with the size of SSR, they are cognitive of those members trading out as well as others that will trade in. Not saying you will be able to book at VWL at 7 months just additional info.

If you would be totally upset not to be able to book at VWL then buy there. Just keep in mind, that owning there still doesnt guarantee you a ressie there, it just improves your chances. If you can book your ressies at exactly 11 months for peak periods and 8 months for other times then you have pretty good odds.

The way we do this is at 11 months we call and book BWV for our trip dates, then at 7 months we call and change. Haven't had a time we could do it YET. Sometimes folks on this board play up the own where you want to stay factor... It is IMPORTANT, but not ALWAYS the MOST important factor...

I agree. For new and potential owners, BWYWTS is overly simplistic and really doesnt address the more important variables that could affect the process.

 

[HookdonWDW]

At the sales presentation, our salesperson kept mentioning "85,000 members of DVC." Is that how many people own? the reason I am asking is if that IS how many people own at DVC, then I am thinking that adding 800 to that number (the units to be sold at SSR) is really not that bad, and should not affect things too much. Am I right?

I think the number of members is now hovering a little closer to the 90,000 mark, but I could definitely be wrong about that.

You are combining two different thoughts here. The number of members, and the number of available units. Those 800 units are owned by many different members. Think of the points it would take to "own" a GV for the entire year!

Here are the number of units:

OKW - 531
VBR - 175
HHI - 102
BWV - 383
VWL - 136
BCV - 142
SSR - 800 (projected)

This means that out of 2,269 DVC units, 800 of them will be at SSR.

Out of the 1,992 DVC units located at WDW, the percentage of rooms would be approximately(rounded off for ease of presentation):
SSR - 40%
OKW - 26%
BWV - 19%
VWL - 7%
BCV - 7%

Looking at the percentages helps to explain why the adage of "buy where you want to stay" exists. All of the resorts are great, but if you know you will only be happy spending most of your stays at VWL, that's where you should buy. JMHO, YMMV.

Good luck deciding what to do!

ETA: Just read Liferbabe's post - looks like the 90,000 member guess might be correct

 

[robinb]

WLL:

Your original question was answered, but there seems to be an underlying question here too. Which is better for you? SSR or VWL? Here are (IMO) the major considerations for choosing between the two:

(1) Price. VWL's asking price is about $75 per point. Add $500 in closing costs. SSR is $95 with a $10 pp discount bringing it to $85 per point. If you get a small contract, the two are pretty close.

(2) Financing: If you don't have the cash laying around or enough equity in your house, Disney's financing is attractive.

(3) The extra 12 years on SSR: IMO, for someone so young, that's a biggie. You'll be in your 70's when VWL expires and in your 80's when SSR expires. I wouldn't take into account sharing the membership, though. It's nice to think about willing your DVC to your DD, but I think the here and now vacations are more worthwhile.

(4) Your vacation schedule: You say you vacation off-peak now, but what about in the future? Will you want to visit WDW in early December (a really busy time for DVC!)? For the Food and Wine Festival? Will you want to go over school holidays? Christmas, New Years? Easter? All of those are premium times that book up fast. They are the times where the 11 month window really makes a difference. I always use the 11 month window (day-by-day even!) for my annual NYE trip and the 7 month window for everything else.

(5) Your preferred destination: By chatting with you here on the DIS, I know you are indeed a Wilderness Lodge lover. I have personally never had a problem getting into the VWL in the spring or summer. I have never tried at any of the times mentioned in (4).

I guess that if you think you may change your vacation schedule to the busier times and you are able to plan 11 months in advance and you want to stay at VWL and you have the cash or external financing, then a resale is probably a better bet for you.

If the thought of going to WDW during the busiest times scares you or you would be OK with staying at SSR during the busy times or you're not the type to pre-plan a vacation 11 months in advance or you need Disney's financing, then I think the nod goes to SSR and the extra 12 years.