please help me decide on DVC purchase

[MLS82]

If cheapest points/biggest rooms is the goal then yes OKW wins. But it’s laid out poorly and the rooms feel a step below the rest of the group in terms of build quality/finishes. And then there’s a lack of resort amenities.
Saratoga simply put is a nicer resort with more to offer and is close in value to OKW. If you can stomach a car rental, the internal bus loop is a non issue.

After reading everyone's responses, I am leaning toward VGF. I've also considered OKW Extended! I'm not opposed to renting a car-especially for stays at OKW or SSR.

One additional thought for @MLS82. Other than Poly and VGF, the other resort that would actually meet your needs of 3 sleeping surfaces in studio and 1 BRs is Riviera. A cheap way to enter this game would be to pick up a resale RIV contract that you could use for studio stays there. As you may well already know, resale RIV contracts can only be used at RIV, but they would all be much cheaper than a VGF or Poly resale contract. And if you’re buying a contract for a studio stay, at most resorts, much of the time, you’re going to have to treat it like a contract you are only using at your home resort. It wouldn’t be my personal first choice (I do love RIV but I own direct points), but it’s another option.

I need to rent points and try Riveria ASAP! Especially after reading Girlstar30's recent trip report. I thought I would love Riveria but need to stay there before buying a restricted resort. The one bedrooms look amazing. I like the look of the studio bathroom. We stopped by for lunch during our trip a few weeks ago. It took a short while (10 minutes) to board a gondola back to Epcot-even though we were the only ones in line, they were all full. I'm curious what the gondoal situation to Epcot is like in the morning?

 

[airjay75]

I need to rent points and try Riveria ASAP! Especially after reading Girlstar30's recent trip report. I thought I would love Riveria but need to stay there before buying a restricted resort. The one bedrooms look amazing. I like the look of the studio bathroom. We stopped by for lunch during our trip a few weeks ago. It took a short while (10 minutes) to board a gondola back to Epcot-even thought we were the only ones in line, they were all full. I'm curious what the gondoal situation to Epcot is like in the morning?

Staying there would definitely be a good idea. I actually booked a one night cash stay direct through Disney before deciding on my initial purchase and our entire family absolutely loved it. Before kids, my wife and I loved going to Caribbean all inclusives, and the vibe of the resort felt very similar to us - relaxed, laid back, and away from it all (yet also very close to the action).

Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the CMs make sure a certain number of gondolas coming from CB are empty in the morning to ensure there are enough for RIV (and Aruba guests) to get on. My experiences with the Skyliner have been very positive, but just like all Disney transport, you can find horror stories.

Even if you settle on VGF or Poly for your first purchase, RIV could be a good way to eventually round out your portfolio with an Epcot area resort.

 

[Wedgeout]

If cheapest points/biggest rooms is the goal then yes OKW wins. But it’s laid out poorly and the rooms feel a step below the rest of the group in terms of build quality/finishes. And then there’s a lack of resort amenities.
Saratoga simply put is a nicer resort with more to offer and is close in value to OKW. If you can stomach a car rental, the internal bus loop is a non issue.

Cheapest? 2057 points are not cheapest. SSR dies off in 2054. OKW was built & designed better than most of the newer structures. Units are the largest. Lack of resort amenities? Being next to Disney Springs doesn’t count as amenities. Haven’t seen that SSR spa open yet. The golfing starts & ends at SSR with much of the course surrounding & going through OKW. Laid out poorly? Each area branches off from Hospitality House with the distance to resort hub closer than the spread out SSR which happens to looks like a refurbished apartment complex. SSR is ‘resort of last resorts’ for a reason. (Anyway I respect your opinion but this thread is not for bashing resorts..if SSR is their best match..focus on that).

 

[eticketplease]

Ignore the purchase price per point. In the long term, it's immaterial (a few dollars per year per point). What is important is how many points you'll need for your stay and the maintenance fee on those points.

Let me give you an example. Our current maintenance fees are $8.02 at BLT. A week in a 1br is 257 points in early December. Thus, the cost of our room is $2061.

Now, let's move to CCV. Current maintenance fees are $8.49, and a 1br is 237 points. Thus, the cost of the room is $2012.

Now, let's move to VGF. Current maintenance fees are $7.93. A 1br is 340 points. Thus, the cost of the room is $2,696.

Now, let's move to Poly. Current maintenance fees are $7.93. A 1br is 387 points. Thus, the cost of the room is $3,069

Animal Kingdom Villas? Current maintenance fees are $9.64, and a 1br savanna view is 235 points. Thus, the cost of the room is $2,265.

Riviera? Current maintenance fees are $9.06 and a 1br preferred view is 328 points. Thus, the cost of the room is $2,971.

Cabins at Fort Wilderness. Current maintenance fees are $11.88, and a cabin is 132 points. Thus, the cost of the room is $1,568.

But, back to those buy-in prices. I paid $110pp on average for my BLT points. I'm amortizing $2.50 per point per year. That adds $642 to my stay every year until the contract expires. Maintenance fees continue to increase each year, but that $2.50 per point does not. The $642 for the buy-in represents only 23% of the total cost of my vacation this year, and will decrease over time as maintenance fees increase. The number of points and the maintenance fee per point is thus the real cost driver here.

That all being said, buy where you want to stay. My wife and I tried out various DVC resorts before we bought. Ultimately, we chose BLT for its ability to access the monorail, other monorail resorts, the EPCOT monorail, and the easy walk to the MK. Your decision may be different, based upon what you value the most in a vacation resort.

I don't know how you can ignore purchase price per point. That is such a big part of the equation. Yes after you have outlaid the cash upfront it comes down to the point charts and the dues.

Also if making these examples and paying the points why are you not showing examples using the home resort advantage?

All of your examples are using the dues of that said resort.

Your examples really should be the dues of your resort (BLT $8.02) multiplied by the cost of the room you would more likely to grab at 7 months or if your an owner the rooms that you have the first chance at grabbing.

As a BLT owner I'm not grabbing a Lake view that has quite the supply and instead would be grabbing a standard 1 br for 226 and costing $1,812.52 or a theme park for 305 costing $2,446.61

For Riviera use your BLT to stay at the preferred 1 BR meaning $8.02 x 328 = $2,630.56 but if I am an owner I'm taking advantage of the cheaper room so I would take my dues of $9.06 and multiply by the standard 1 BR of 259 costing $2,346.54

Likewise for AKL your BLT dues for a savannah 1 BR come out to $1,884.70 but as an owner there is a chance for a value 1 BR at $9.64 x 144 points which ends up costing $1,388.16

 

[Girlstar30]

After reading everyone's responses, I am leaning toward VGF. I've also considered OKW Extended! I'm not opposed to renting a car-especially for stays at OKW or SSR.

I need to rent points and try Riveria ASAP! Especially after reading Girlstar30's recent trip report. I thought I would love Riveria but need to stay there before buying a restricted resort. The one bedrooms look amazing. I like the look of the studio bathroom. We stopped by for lunch during our trip a few weeks ago. It took a short while (10 minutes) to board a gondola back to Epcot-even though we were the only ones in line, they were all full. I'm curious what the gondoal situation to Epcot is like in the morning?

I think this is really the best thing you can do! Another thing i forgot to note in the trip report was the storage space at the Riviera studio.

The drawers were under the bed instead of having a stand alone dresser for storage. This would be a problem for us to stay in the studios. My wife has chronic back pain from being born with a rare spinal condition and bending down for a prolonged period of time is painful for her.

In the PIT studio, she could use the top drawer, which is still lower than she prefers, but the same height as the bed and not under it so it is more easily accessible. So the drawers at Riv are useless for her.

This is something we didnt notice/pay attention to when we were touring. All around it wasnt a good fit for us and these things that you notice when staying somewhere really matter! A big reason to own at Riv is for studio access! The one bedroom with the jacuzzi tub is a must for us staying at Riv (Our favorite part of the room!) so we would be fine to trade in there when we want to stay

 

[VGCgroupie]

Yeah that's the sticking point for me. Even if you only wanted it through 2042, you could probably sell a CCV in 2042 with 26 years left on it for more than you pay for it in 2025. But the BRV will be worth $0.

I personally keep waffling between:

1. Sticking with what I have for now, and waiting for our "DVC wish list" to develop a bit. We have 150 Direct at Poly and 200 Resale at BLT. We have five (!) trips planned over the next year, by which time our available points will be quite paltry. I'm hoping a well-timed add on after that can bridge us to the next year of plenty. We've only ever stayed onsite at AoA and Poly (7 nights total, so not much experience). So we're also hoping those five trips (BWV, AoA/GF, Riv/BLT, Poly, and TBD) will give us a stronger sense of where we want to stay more long term. We also really want to do a stay at Aulani in 3-5 years, and that's going to require quite a points haul. So I'm trying to decide when and where, not if, for adding on. I probably want ~200 points, and I don't want a 2042.

2. Buying CCV to get some cheap SAP that last a long time. We need 2BR for the next 6-10 years, so that requires a lot of points and CCV's chart is much more favorable for this than any of the other options.

3. Adding on at BLT for longer 2BR stays at 11 months. Longer stays are great, but we would only have 11-month priority at 2 resorts if we do this. In another 10 years, we would probably wish we had a third home resort and just committed to banking/borrowing to orchestrate longer stays.

4. Buying a RIV resale to have an option with better Epcot/HS access (I even toyed with BWV, but it just doesn't make financial sense with 2042 expiration). Having visited for Topolino's, I LOVE Riviera. I don't love the high points chart. I don't love the restriction to only RIV, but it's not that bad given I have two other contracts. It has the highest dues of the options, and it wouldn't help with an Aulani stay at all.

My very first DVC stay was at Aulani with my CCV points. Fell in love and then loaded up on AUL sub points.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I don't know how you can ignore purchase price per point. That is such a big part of the equation. Yes after you have outlaid the cash upfront it comes down to the point charts and the dues.

Also if making these examples and paying the points why are you not showing examples using the home resort advantage?

All of your examples are using the dues of that said resort.

Your examples really should be the dues of your resort (BLT $8.02) multiplied by the cost of the room you would more likely to grab at 7 months or if your an owner the rooms that you have the first chance at grabbing.

As a BLT owner I'm not grabbing a Lake view that has quite the supply and instead would be grabbing a standard 1 br for 226 and costing $1,812.52 or a theme park for 305 costing $2,446.61

For Riviera use your BLT to stay at the preferred 1 BR meaning $8.02 x 328 = $2,630.56 but if I am an owner I'm taking advantage of the cheaper room so I would take my dues of $9.06 and multiply by the standard 1 BR of 259 costing $2,346.54

Likewise for AKL your BLT dues for a savannah 1 BR come out to $1,884.70 but as an owner there is a chance for a value 1 BR at $9.64 x 144 points which ends up costing $1,388.16

Agree that value rooms and even concierge rooms are unique to AKV and are a big selling point for AKV. I would buy AKV over SSR any day (I don’t love either resort) and if OP likes AKV it makes much more sense over SSR. Both are bus only.

 

[PolyRob]

After reading everyone's responses, I am leaning toward VGF. I've also considered OKW Extended! I'm not opposed to renting a car-especially for stays at OKW or SSR.

I need to rent points and try Riveria ASAP! Especially after reading Girlstar30's recent trip report. I thought I would love Riveria but need to stay there before buying a restricted resort. The one bedrooms look amazing. I like the look of the studio bathroom. We stopped by for lunch during our trip a few weeks ago. It took a short while (10 minutes) to board a gondola back to Epcot-even though we were the only ones in line, they were all full. I'm curious what the gondoal situation to Epcot is like in the morning?

If you stay in the original VGF building and rent a car you will be spoiled by the dedicated porte cochere and parking lot. It's a very nice area!

 

[Girlstar30]

If you stay in the original VGF building and rent a car you will be spoiled by the dedicated porte cochere and parking lot. It's a very nice area!

Heyyy we decided to rent a car, something else to be excited about

 

[VGCgroupie]

Do you rent cars often? We used to be rent a car people and anti uber. But nowadays getting to the rental car garage is just so time consuming and it just feels so draining at the start of our vacation that we don't do it anymore unless we have a need for car outside of the main vacation like at Aulani.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Heyyy we decided to rent a car, something else to be excited about

Just as I was typing my new distain for renting cars

 

[Genie+]

The challenge of buying DVC is trying to predict individual preferences. What I thought we’d choose to book changed after experiencing more resorts/seasons. Plus our own family habits evolved over time. Something that could work well in a variety of ways might be just as good a choice as ‘perfect’, since our perfect choice may change over time.

We happened to luck out on buying direct. Our plan was to stick with resale only. After buying a smaller BWV resale we became interested in adding on a longer resale contract in the MK area. That put us spending well over $20k for 150pts. At that point a good round of direct incentives is major competition.

In hindsight I’m so glad it turned out that way because within the first 3 years direct has been useful well beyond our expectations. If you’re in it for the long haul that gives plenty of opportunity for making direct a worthwhile choice. Now that we’ve bought APs 2 years, attended moonlight magic with another on the horizon, used our 20% merch discount relentlessly lol, visited lounges in WDW and DL, booked restricted rooms, enjoyed wicked winddown a few times, used ticket discounts for JN, DAH and AK safari dining, bought MMB and BOGO OTUP with free Memory Maker, etc… I doubt we’ll ever regret going direct. 38 years to go and it’s nice not watching perks and restricted resorts from the sidelines.

I’m sure we’d have been content sticking with resale. We would’ve managed fine without direct. But being we were already looking into the higher $pp prices of resale, it was going to be a big chunk of change whether we bought resale or direct. How much mileage a family gets from direct varies, so I can’t say it’s the best value for everyone. It’s worth consideration though. Resale is not necessarily the best value for everyone either. The blogs all make it seem that way lol.

 

[eticketplease]

Do you rent cars often? We used to be rent a car people and anti uber. But nowadays getting to the rental car garage is just so time consuming and it just feels so draining at the start of our vacation that we don't do it anymore unless we have a need for car outside of the main vacation like at Aulani.

We do because we are point poor

We usually fly in late night after school and use a Marriott or IHG FNC for the night and then switch to DVC the next morning.

Yes it is time consuming though although our name is always on the board with Hertz so that helps a little.
We generally drive to the parks or Minnie Van to MK to cut down on waiting.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I have been stalking since July. I want to buy resale. Family of 4. Open to studios, 1 bedrooms would be a plus.

I have been waiting for the winter rush of people listing that don't want to pay the 2026 MF. I understand the best value is CCV, BLT, and then SSR. I do not like BLT. CCV is not bad, but I need 5 sleeping surfaces. I have two boys who will not sleep together. I thought I would buy SSR for sleep around points, but I would be depressed if I couldn't find something else within the 7-month window. I despise resorts with multiple bus stops. My husband loves the monorail resort area. He thinks Poly is his favorite, even though we have not stayed there. I did as a 10-year-old, but that doesn't count.

My kids are in school, so we travel during Oct. fall break, the week after Christmas, and Spring Break, which coincides with Easter. So the most expensive and busiest times to travel. Once the second kid is in college in 2032, I would visit WDW in Jan-March.

Hands down, I would buy BCV if it weren't for 2042 end date. We love the pool and proximity to Epcot. My second choice would be VGF, but the $150-160pp hurts. My third favorite resort is AKL, but the dues are higher, and ROFR has been taking them. I also noticed the ppp increase in AKL since July! It was in the mid-high 90s, and now it seems like all the contracts are asking for $100+. I guess they think they can ask more bc of the refurb? Or is it from ROFR?

I do like the idea of Poly, but I have not stayed there since the 90's. I tried so hard to find a room for our fall break, and ended up staying at Yacht Club w/ AP discount. I can't find a room at the Poly for our Spring break April 6th.

So….. buy VGF and BCV and split stay?

 

[VGCgroupie]

We do because we are point poor

We usually fly in late night after school and use a Marriott or IHG FNC for the night and then switch to DVC the next morning.

Yes it is time consuming though although our name is always on the board with Hertz so that helps a little.
We generally drive to the parks or Minnie Van to MK to cut down on waiting.

If you fly late this is smart. Waiting for a DVC room after a late flight is brutal.

 

[eticketplease]

If you fly late this is smart. Waiting for a DVC room after a late flight is brutal.

I think this is your DD way of saying don't ask for their IHG certificate

 

[Genie+]

If you fly late this is smart. Waiting for a DVC room after a late flight is brutal.

We’re doing this in April because we’re also point poor lol, and coming in late flight Sat which means 55pts to match the 1BR we booked Sun-Fri. Yikes! So offsite Night 1 it is. We looked at cash and even Pop is like over $300 that night.

 

[VGCgroupie]

We’re doing this in April because we’re also point poor lol, and coming in late flight Sat which means 55pts to match the 1BR we booked Sun-Fri. Yikes! So offsite Night 1 it is. We looked at cash and even Pop is like over $300 that night.

Most know Im not point poor but I am point shiesty. I almost booked a studio for 13 points but was like nope I am too cheap for that. So we suffered after the red eye. But I have so many other credit card points now that I know about the hotel at the airport and that is it decent any future red eyes or late flights I will be using my CC points to book there. Those points mean much less to me than my DVC points

 

[Brian Noble]

But nowadays getting to the rental car garage is just so time consuming and it just feels so draining at the start of our vacation that we don't do it anymore

I dig the Executive Aisle at National. Pick a car and go. Every once in a while, I get something awesome.

 

[Girlstar30]

Just as I was typing my new distain for renting cars

Haha the only reason were doing it is because we're staying a long time again and we want to try some beaches, Kennedy space center, gatorland, and my wife wants to go to that big blue disney store she always sees, Idk why but that was her request